High-Street Beauty Lookalikes Could Save Consumers a Fortune. However, Do Budget Beauty Products Actually Work?
Rachael Parnell
After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was launching a new skincare range that looked akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
She hurried to her local store to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.
Its smooth blue container and gold top of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.
She has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.
More than a fourth of UK buyers say they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published survey.
Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and provide affordable substitutes to luxury products. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the components can vary substantially.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'
Skincare professionals contend some substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.
"I don't think costlier is always superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."
"Some [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast with famous people.
A lot of of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.
"These products will be effective," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."
Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when searching for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.
"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.
'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'
Yet the professionals also suggest consumers check details and note that more expensive products are occasionally worth the premium price.
With premium skincare, you're not just covering the name and advertising - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to produce the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.
Beauty expert she suggests it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.
Occasionally, she says they may include less effective components that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.
"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.
Expert Scott notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".
"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he added.
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Regarding advanced products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to more specialised companies.
She states these typically have been through comprehensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.
Beauty items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.
If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence completed by different firms, she adds.
Check the Ingredients List of the Pack
Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?
Components on the list of the container are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
