🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her closest store to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of each products look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

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

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

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known brands and provide affordable options to luxury items. They often have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts say certain substitutes to premium brands are reasonable quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast with famous people.

Many of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

But the specialists also advise consumers investigate and say that costlier products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just funding the label and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the research used to produce the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they might have bulking agents that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott says sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert another professional.

When the company states about the performance of the item, it must have data to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies completed by other brands, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up