High-Street Beauty Dupes Might Save You a Fortune. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Perform?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out Aldi was selling a recent beauty line that appeared akin to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look noticeably alike. And though Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known labels and present affordable alternatives to luxury items. They frequently have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say many substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably more effective," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget product line is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a show with famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest shoppers do their research and say that costlier items are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - at times the higher cost also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the science used to produce the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, she explains.

Beauty expert she argues it's important considering how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they could have filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he warned.

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert states these typically have been through costly studies to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have research to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to do the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other brands, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up