🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard Aldi was selling a fresh beauty line that seemed similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of each creams look strikingly alike. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and present budget-friendly options to premium products. They often have similar labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts contend some substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily more effective," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show with public figures.

A lot of of the products based on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the professionals also recommend shoppers investigate and note that costlier items are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology utilized to produce the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might include less effective components that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a well-known brand but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the container," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends using research-backed labels.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by other brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the list of the container are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up