🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was offering a new skincare range that appeared akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of each items look remarkably comparable. Although she has not used the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, according to a recently published study.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic well-known brands and provide cost-effective substitutes to luxury products. These products frequently have similar labels and design, but occasionally the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists argue certain alternatives to premium labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is always more effective," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a program with famous people.

A lot of of the items based on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable degree."

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

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

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

With luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the label and marketing - often the higher price also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to produce the item, and tests into the item's performance, she explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they could contain filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The big uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be sold by the container," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises sticking to medical-grade labels.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead use evidence completed by other companies, she says.

Read the Label of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up