🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh skincare range that appeared similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look remarkably alike. While she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established labels and present budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. They often have alike labels and design, but occasionally the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals contend many dupes to premium brands are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably better," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget product line is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a program featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products modeled on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will handle the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the experts also recommend buyers investigate and say that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - at times the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the science used to develop the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Skin therapist another professional says it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using research-backed companies.

The expert states these typically have been through costly tests to assess how successful they are.

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

When the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use evidence completed by different firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the list of the tube are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up