🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out Aldi was launching a new beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of each products look remarkably similar. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, as per a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists argue certain substitutes to luxury brands are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes a podcast host, who presents a program with celebrities.

Many of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also advise consumers investigate and say that costlier products are occasionally worth the extra money.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the name and advertising - sometimes the elevated cost also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research used to produce the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might include less effective components that lack as significant positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One major doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be sold by the packaging," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises using medical-grade brands.

She says these probably have been through comprehensive tests to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use testing done by other brands, she adds.

Check the Label of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up