🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard a discounter was offering a new skincare range that appeared comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of each creams look strikingly similar. While Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recent poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name companies and present budget-friendly options to luxury products. They often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals say many alternatives to luxury labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily more effective," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast about celebrities.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the specialists also recommend consumers check details and say that costlier items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the name and promotion - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to develop the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist she says it's important questioning how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they might include filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises selecting more specialised labels.

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

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

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference studies completed by different brands, she says.

Check the Label of the Container

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

Components on the back of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up