🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was selling a new beauty line that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her nearest store to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of both products look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a February study.

Dupes are beauty items that copy established companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to luxury products. They often have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare professionals argue certain alternatives to high-end brands are good quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring famous people.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will handle the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

However the specialists also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the brand and marketing - often the increased price also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the research employed to produce the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist she says it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they could include less effective components that don't have as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting more specialised companies.

She explains these probably have been through expensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert another professional.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use evidence conducted by different companies, she says.

Read the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up