Supermarket Beauty Alternatives Can Save Shoppers Hundreds. Yet, Do Economical Beauty Items Perform?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was launching a new product collection that appeared similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of the two creams look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent poll.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and present affordable alternatives to luxury products. These products frequently have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say certain substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always better," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show with famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the experts also recommend consumers investigate and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and promotion - sometimes the elevated cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology employed to develop the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert states these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite evidence done by other companies, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any components that could signal a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up