High-Street Skincare Dupes Can Save You a Bundle. However, Do Budget Skincare Items Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of the two creams look strikingly alike. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic bigger name labels and offer affordable substitutes to luxury items. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts argue some substitutes to high-end brands are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a podcast host, who runs a show about public figures.

Many of the items based on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest buyers do their research and state that more expensive products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - sometimes the increased price also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to produce the item, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert she says it's worth considering how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might include bulking agents that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

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

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises selecting more specialised companies.

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

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the brand states about the effectiveness of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the brand does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead use testing completed by different firms, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

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

Components on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up