🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard Aldi was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue container and gold cap of both products look strikingly similar. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and provide budget-friendly alternatives to luxury items. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend many dupes to luxury labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is always better," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on luxury labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the experts also advise consumers investigate and note that costlier products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - at times the elevated price also comes from the components and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research utilized to develop the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, the expert says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they might contain less effective components that lack as numerous benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The big uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott notes sometimes he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert states these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead use studies conducted by different firms, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up