Grocery Store Beauty Dupes Might Save You a Bundle. But Do Economical Beauty Products Perform?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out Aldi was launching a recent product collection that looked similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold cap of both creams look noticeably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February study.

Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. They often have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty professionals contend certain dupes to luxury brands are good quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily more effective," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget beauty label is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a podcast host, who presents a program with public figures.

Many of the products based on luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the specialists also suggest consumers check details and say that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - often the elevated cost also is due to the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the technology employed to create the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they could contain filler ingredients that lack as significant positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the container," he added.

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For potent items or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to medical-grade companies.

She states these typically have been through expensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it needs data to verify it, "however the brand does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence conducted by other companies, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is poor?

Components on the back of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up