Supermarket Beauty Lookalikes Can Save Consumers Hundreds. But Do Budget Skincare Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a new beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold cap of each creams look remarkably comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recent study.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known brands and provide budget-friendly substitutes to high-end items. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists contend some substitutes to high-end brands are decent quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is always superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget product line is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a podcast host, who presents a program with public figures.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the professionals also advise consumers check details and note that more expensive products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - sometimes the elevated price also stems from the formula and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to create the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may have bulking agents that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting research-backed brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been through costly studies to determine how successful they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the container are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up