🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was selling a fresh beauty line that looked comparable to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her local store to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of each products look strikingly comparable. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February study.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic bigger name companies and present budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare experts contend some alternatives to luxury labels are decent quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a show with famous people.

Numerous of the items based on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the professionals also advise consumers check details and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and promotion - at times the increased price also is due to the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to develop the item, and trials into the products' performance, she explains.

Beauty expert she says it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For more complicated products or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade brands.

The expert states these typically have been subjected to costly tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires research to verify it, "however the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference testing conducted by different brands, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up