🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was launching a fresh skincare range that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold top of each items look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, according to a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established labels and offer affordable alternatives to high-end products. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts contend certain alternatives to premium labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily superior," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show with famous people.

Numerous of the products based on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and state that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and promotion - at times the increased price also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist she argues it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain less effective components that don't have as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One big question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn notes sometimes he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a established brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been through expensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite evidence conducted by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is inferior?

Components on the label of the tube are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up