High-Street Skincare Dupes Can Save Shoppers Hundreds. However, Do Affordable Beauty Products Perform?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her local shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its smooth blue container and gold cap of each creams look noticeably similar. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published poll.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established brands and present budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals say many dupes to high-end labels are good standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast about public figures.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers check details and say that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the research employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist another professional argues it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they may contain less effective components that lack as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be sold by the container," he warned.

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For advanced items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises using research-backed companies.

The expert explains these will likely have been through costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires research to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence done by other brands, she adds.

Check the Back of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up