Supermarket Beauty Dupes Could Save Shoppers a Fortune. However, Do Economical Skincare Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a supermarket was selling a recent skincare range that appeared comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of each products look noticeably alike. Although she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and present budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products typically have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts say many dupes to luxury labels are good quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably superior," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program with celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that costlier products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and promotion - often the higher price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science employed to produce the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth considering how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

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

Podcast host McGlynn says sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed labels.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to support it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence conducted by different companies, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up