🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of the two products look remarkably similar. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known brands and provide affordable substitutes to premium items. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue certain dupes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," says skin specialist one expert. "Not every affordable beauty label is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program with famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend consumers check details and note that more expensive products are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - sometimes the increased price also is due to the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the technology utilized to create the item, and tests into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they might include filler ingredients that lack as many positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead use studies done by different firms, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up