Supermarket Beauty Lookalikes Can Save Shoppers a Bundle. However, Do Economical Skincare Items Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a new skincare range that appeared similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of both products look remarkably comparable. And though she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy well-known companies and present affordable alternatives to luxury products. They frequently have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals say many dupes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion costlier is always superior," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

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

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the specialists also suggest consumers investigate and state that higher-priced items are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to create the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, the expert says.

Beauty expert she suggests it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to research-backed brands.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the performance of the product, it requires data to back it up, "however the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite testing completed by other brands, she says.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up