Supermarket Beauty Lookalikes Could Save You a Bundle. However, Do Affordable Skincare Items Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
When one shopper learned a discounter was launching a fresh beauty line that looked comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
She dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.
The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of each creams look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.
Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.
More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study.
Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and offer affordable alternatives to high-end products. They typically have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'
Skincare experts contend many alternatives to premium brands are good standard and aid make skincare cheaper.
"I don't think higher-priced is always superior," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."
"A number of [dupes] are truly excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program about famous people.
Numerous of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.
"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a acceptable level."
Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.
'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'
But the professionals also advise shoppers investigate and say that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.
With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the brand and promotion - sometimes the elevated price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the technology used to create the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.
Skin therapist she suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.
In some cases, she says they might include less effective components that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.
"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.
Expert Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".
"Don't be sold by the container," he cautioned.
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For advanced items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises selecting medical-grade labels.
The expert states these probably have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.
Beauty products are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says expert another professional.
If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to back it up, "however the brand doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can instead use evidence done by other companies, she adds.
Check the Label of the Pack
Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?
Components on the label of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
