🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a discounter was launching a new product collection that seemed comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of the two products look remarkably alike. While Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate established labels and provide affordable options to luxury products. They typically have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts say certain substitutes to premium brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the items based on luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

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

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the experts also suggest shoppers check details and state that higher-priced items are at times worth the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to develop the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they might include bulking agents that don't have as many advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The key question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced items or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she suggests selecting research-backed labels.

She states these probably have been subjected to costly trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by other brands, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the tube are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up