🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a discounter was offering a recent beauty line that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of both products look noticeably similar. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known brands and provide cost-effective options to high-end items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists say certain dupes to premium labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the products modeled on luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also suggest shoppers do their research and state that more expensive products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just funding the name and promotion - often the elevated price also comes from the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to create the product, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist she argues it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might have less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests sticking to medical-grade brands.

The expert says these typically have been through expensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company makes claims about the performance of the product, it needs research to back it up, "but the seller does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead reference testing completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up