🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a new skincare range that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold top of both items look remarkably alike. While she has not used the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, as per a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and offer affordable options to high-end products. They often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say some dupes to premium brands are good quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always superior," comments dermatology expert one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If 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 very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the specialists also recommend consumers do their research and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and marketing - sometimes the elevated cost also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert she suggests it's important considering how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they might include filler ingredients that don't have as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For potent products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests using research-backed companies.

She states these probably have been through costly tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it requires data to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence completed by different brands, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up