High-Street Skincare Lookalikes Might Save Shoppers a Bundle. Yet, Do Budget Beauty Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a fresh product collection that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of each creams look noticeably alike. While she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and provide affordable alternatives to premium products. They frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists argue many dupes to luxury labels are good quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is always superior," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the professionals also advise buyers investigate and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - at times the higher price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to produce the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, she says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they could have bulking agents that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says expert another professional.

When the brand states about the performance of the product, it must have data to support it, "but the seller does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different firms, she says.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the list of the container are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up