Grocery Store Beauty Dupes Might Save Shoppers Hundreds. But Do Budget Skincare Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was offering a recent skincare range that seemed similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her local store to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of both items look strikingly comparable. Although she has not used the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a February study.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate established brands and offer affordable substitutes to luxury items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Better'

Beauty specialists say certain alternatives to luxury labels are good quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is always better," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show with public figures.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

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

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the specialists also advise buyers do their research and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - at times the increased price also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the key component, the technology utilized to create the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist she suggests it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they could have less effective components that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to research-backed labels.

She states these typically have been subjected to costly tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to back it up, "however the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up