Supermarket Skincare Lookalikes Might Save Shoppers Hundreds. Yet, Do Affordable Skincare Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that appeared comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of the two products look strikingly alike. Although she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, based on a recent poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and present cost-effective alternatives to premium products. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists contend some dupes to premium brands are decent standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily better," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about famous people.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the specialists also advise consumers do their research and say that costlier products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - often the higher cost also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the science used to produce the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, she explains.

Beauty expert she says it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they might have filler ingredients that don't have as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he warned.

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Regarding potent items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to more specialised companies.

She explains these typically have been through comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite evidence conducted by different companies, she says.

Read the Label of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "The baddies that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up