High-Street Skincare Dupes Can Save You Hundreds. However, Do Economical Skincare Products Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
When one shopper learned Aldi was launching a recent skincare range that looked similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".
She dashed to her nearest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.
Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of each products look noticeably similar. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.
Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.
Over a fourth of UK shoppers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published survey.
Dupes are beauty items that copy well-known brands and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ considerably.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'
Skincare professionals argue some substitutes to premium labels are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.
"In my opinion more expensive is necessarily superior," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the top."
"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring celebrities.
Numerous of the products inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.
"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."
Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.
'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'
But the experts also advise consumers investigate and say that more expensive products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.
With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - often the elevated price also stems from the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the research employed to develop the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, the expert explains.
Skin therapist another professional says it's important questioning how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.
In some cases, she states they may contain less effective components that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.
"The big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.
Expert Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".
"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.
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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends selecting research-backed companies.
She says these typically have been subjected to costly tests to determine how efficacious they are.
Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.
When the brand states about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can instead reference studies completed by other brands, she clarifies.
Examine the Back of the Bottle
Are there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?
Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
