Supermarket Beauty Lookalikes Might Save You a Bundle. Yet, Do Economical Beauty Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a new beauty line that appeared akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold lid of each products look remarkably similar. While she has not used the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name labels and present affordable substitutes to luxury products. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that more expensive is invariably superior," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every budget skincare brand is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," adds a podcast host, who presents a show featuring famous people.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's very little that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

However the specialists also recommend shoppers check details and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - often the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science used to produce the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she says it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they may include less effective components that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to medical-grade companies.

She explains these typically have been subjected to costly tests to determine how successful they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the performance of the product, it must have research to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead use evidence completed by different firms, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the back of the tube are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up