High-Street Beauty Dupes Could Save You Hundreds. However, Do Budget Skincare Items Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
When one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a new skincare range that appeared similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".
The shopper hurried to her local outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.
Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of both products 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 skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.
More than a 25% of UK shoppers state they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a recently published survey.
Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate established brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. They often have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can change substantially.
Victoria Woollaston
'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'
Beauty specialists contend some alternatives to premium brands are good standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable.
"I don't think higher-priced is invariably better," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."
"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program featuring public figures.
Many of the products based on high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.
"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a satisfactory degree."
Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.
'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'
Yet the specialists also advise consumers investigate and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.
Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and marketing - often the increased price also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to create the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert says.
Beauty expert another professional suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.
Sometimes, she states they could include bulking agents that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.
"The big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.
Expert Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".
"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he added.
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Regarding potent products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises using medical-grade labels.
She states these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to determine how effective they are.
Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.
When the company states about the performance of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by other firms, she says.
Check the Ingredients List of the Pack
Is there any components that could suggest a item is inferior?
Components on the list of the tube are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
