Supermarket Beauty Alternatives Might Save Shoppers Hundreds. But Do Affordable Beauty Items Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that appeared similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her closest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of each items look remarkably similar. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established companies and present budget-friendly options to luxury items. They frequently have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty specialists say some substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably better," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a podcast host, who presents a show about famous people.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers do their research and state that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's important questioning how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they may include bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For potent products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert says these will likely have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to verify it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite testing completed by different brands, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up