Grocery Store Beauty Dupes Can Save Shoppers a Fortune. Yet, Do Economical Skincare Items Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was selling a new skincare range that appeared comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of both creams look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent survey.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals contend some alternatives to high-end labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is always more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend shoppers do their research and note that more expensive items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science used to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she says it's worth questioning how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they could contain less effective components that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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For potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using more specialised companies.

The expert explains these probably have been through costly tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite evidence conducted by different brands, she says.

Check the Label of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up