Supermarket Skincare Lookalikes Can Save You Hundreds. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was launching a new beauty line that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
The shopper dashed to her nearest store to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.
Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of the two items look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.
She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.
Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study.
Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate well-known brands and present cost-effective options to high-end items. They typically have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'
Skincare specialists argue certain alternatives to luxury brands are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.
"I don't think costlier is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."
"Some [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.
Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.
"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."
Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.
"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.
'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'
However the professionals also suggest buyers do their research and state that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.
With premium skincare, you're not only covering the name and advertising - at times the elevated price also stems from the components and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology employed to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains.
Facialist she says it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.
In some cases, she says they could include filler ingredients that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.
"The major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.
Commentator McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".
"Don't be sold by the container," he warned.
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Regarding more complicated products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to research-backed labels.
She states these will likely have been through costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.
Skincare items need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.
When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead use studies done by different companies, she clarifies.
Examine the Ingredients List of the Container
Is there any components that could indicate a product is poor?
Components on the label of the container are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up
