🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was selling a new beauty line that appeared similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its smooth blue tube and gold lid of each items look remarkably similar. And though Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known brands and offer budget-friendly options to luxury items. They frequently have alike labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty experts argue many dupes to premium brands are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily superior," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," notes a podcast host, who presents a program about famous people.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also recommend consumers do their research and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - sometimes the elevated cost also stems from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist she suggests it's worth considering how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they could include bulking agents that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using research-backed brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to verify it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead use studies done by other companies, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up