High-Street Skincare Lookalikes Could Save You a Fortune. However, Do Economical Beauty Products Actually Work?
Rachael Parnell
Upon hearing a consumer heard a discounter was selling a recent product collection that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
Rachael rushed to her nearest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.
The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each products look strikingly similar. While she has not used the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.
Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.
More than a 25% of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.
Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and provide affordable options to luxury items. They frequently have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the components can vary significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'
Skincare professionals say some substitutes to luxury brands are good standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.
"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."
"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a podcast featuring public figures.
Many of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.
Scott McGlynn
Medical expert a doctor thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.
"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."
A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in using a budget alternative or something which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.
'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'
However the specialists also suggest consumers do their research and note that costlier products are sometimes worth the additional cost.
Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and advertising - at times the higher price also stems from the formula and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to create the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains.
Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.
In some cases, she states they could have bulking agents that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.
"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.
Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".
"Do not be convinced by the container," he cautioned.
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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises selecting more specialised companies.
The expert explains these probably have been through expensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.
Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.
If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it requires data to verify it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by other brands, she clarifies.
Read the Ingredients List of the Pack
Are there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?
Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up
