High-Street Beauty Dupes Might Save You a Bundle. Yet, Do Budget Beauty Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a discounter was launching a recent skincare range that seemed akin to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its sleek blue container and gold top of each products look remarkably comparable. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to premium items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists argue some alternatives to high-end brands are good standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast with public figures.

Many of the items modeled on luxury labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also suggest buyers check details and note that more expensive products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - often the increased cost also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the research used to create the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert she argues it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to more specialised companies.

She says these probably have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.

When the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is poor?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up