High-Street Beauty Dupes Could Save You a Fortune. However, Do Economical Beauty Products Really Work?
Rachael Parnell
When Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was offering a new skincare range that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".
She hurried to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.
Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of the two items look remarkably alike. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.
She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.
Over a fourth of UK consumers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recent survey.
Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established companies and present cost-effective options to luxury items. These products often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Isn't Always Better'
Skincare professionals say certain substitutes to luxury brands are good standard and aid make skincare more affordable.
"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."
"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," adds a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring celebrities.
A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.
"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."
A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.
'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'
However the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.
Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - often the elevated cost also comes from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the product, and tests into the products' performance, the expert notes.
Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.
Sometimes, she believes they might include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.
"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.
Expert Scott admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".
"Do not be convinced by the container," he added.
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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using more specialised companies.
The expert says these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.
Skincare items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.
When the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use studies completed by different firms, she says.
Check the Ingredients List of the Container
Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is poor?
Components on the back of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
