🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was offering a recent beauty line that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold top of the two creams look remarkably comparable. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and offer budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare specialists argue some substitutes to premium labels are decent standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the specialists also recommend buyers do their research and state that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the components and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research used to create the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's important questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the performance of the item, it must have evidence to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead use testing conducted by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up