🔗 Share this article Supermarket Beauty Lookalikes Can Save Consumers a Bundle. However, Do Budget Beauty Items Actually Work? Rachael Parnell She says with a few lookalikes she "fails to see the distinction". When a consumer heard a supermarket was selling a fresh beauty line that seemed comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited". Rachael dashed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product. The smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far. She has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company. Over a 25% of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recent poll. Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name labels and offer cost-effective options to premium items. They frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can differ significantly. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: One brand's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while Aldi's recent store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better' Skincare specialists argue certain dupes to premium brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper. "I don't think higher-priced is always more effective," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the best." "A number of [dupes] are really excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring celebrities. A lot of of the products inspired by high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn claims some budget products he has tried are "fantastic". Medical expert another professional thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes. "These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable degree." Another skin doctor, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient. "When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds. 'Do Not Be Sold by the Container' However the specialists also advise consumers do their research and say that costlier items are occasionally worth the additional cost. With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - often the higher price also stems from the formula and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the research employed to create the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, the expert says. Facialist she suggests it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively. In some cases, she states they could have less effective components that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality. "One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks. Commentator Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "little similarity to the original". "Don't be fooled by the packaging," he warned. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert advises choosing more specialised brands for products with components like retinol or ascorbic acid. Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed labels. She explains these probably have been through costly studies to determine how efficacious they are. Beauty items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth. When the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference testing completed by different firms, she says. Check the Label of the Container Are there any components that could indicate a item is poor? Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up