🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned Aldi was selling a new beauty line that seemed comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her local shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of both products look noticeably alike. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a February study.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name labels and present affordable substitutes to premium items. These products often have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say certain substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the components and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science utilized to create the product, and trials into the products' performance, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they could contain less effective components that don't have as many positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to more specialised labels.

She says these typically have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to back it up, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up