<![CDATA[Research aims: To examine the effect of influencer marketing dimensions (experience, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and content usefulness) on skincare product purchasing behavior, and to analyze the moderating role of influencer-follower congruence. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative approach was implemented by distributing electronic questionnaires to 254 respondents who are active TikTok followers of prominent beauty influencers (Tasya Farasya, Suhay Salim, and Rachel Goddard). Data analysis was executed using Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4 software. Research findings: Influencer experience, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and content usefulness exert direct positive and significant effects on skincare purchasing behavior, with trustworthiness being the most dominant predictor. Interestingly, influencer-follower congruence only significantly moderates the relationship between trustworthiness and purchasing behavior in a negative direction—indicating an attenuation or ceiling effect. It fails to moderate the impacts of experience, attractiveness, and content usefulness. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: This study addresses the critical phenomenon of influencer fatigue by bridging source credibility models with self-congruence theory. It provides original insight into a boundary condition: when identity alignment between follower and influencer is exceptionally high, the psychological urgency for objective functional trustworthiness decreases, as purchasing becomes driven by affective loyalty and identification. Practitioners/Policy Implications: Cosmetic companies are strongly advised to pivot their influencer selection strategies away from blind, superficial lifestyle alignment or pure visual aesthetics. To combat consumer skepticism, marketing managers should prioritize and incentivize influencers who maintain high information integrity, transparency, and honest reviews. Research Limitations/Implications: The sampling framework is limited to active followers of three specific beauty influencers on the TikTok platform within Indonesia. Future research should expand the scope by contrasting the dynamics of macro versus micro-influencers and incorporating adjacent variables such as parasocial interaction]]>
