Rachael Parnell
When Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was launching a recent skincare range that looked akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
She rushed to her nearest outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.
Its streamlined blue container and gold cap of both items look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.
She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.
Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published survey.
Alternatives are beauty items that imitate established labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to premium products. These products typically have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the components can differ significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
Skincare professionals argue many dupes to high-end labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.
"I don't think costlier is always better," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."
"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds a podcast host, who presents a podcast about public figures.
Many of the items based on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.
"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "They will do the basics to a acceptable standard."
A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.
But the experts also suggest buyers do their research and note that costlier items are at times worth the extra money.
With premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price also is due to the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science used to develop the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, she notes.
Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable considering how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply.
Occasionally, she says they might have filler ingredients that lack as many positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.
"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.
Expert Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".
"Do not be fooled by the container," he warned.
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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to medical-grade brands.
She explains these probably have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how successful they are.
Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.
When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite studies completed by other companies, she clarifies.
Is there any components that could suggest a product is inferior?
Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up
A passionate writer and traveler sharing insights on personal growth and lifestyle from a UK perspective.
