Grocery Store Beauty Lookalikes Might Save Consumers Hundreds. Yet, Do Economical Skincare Items Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a supermarket was selling a new beauty line that appeared comparable to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The streamlined blue tube and gold lid of the two creams look strikingly similar. And though she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name labels and present budget-friendly substitutes to luxury products. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals contend some alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who presents a show about celebrities.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers investigate and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - sometimes the elevated cost also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research used to develop the product, and tests into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist she says it's worth considering how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they may include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be sold by the container," he added.

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to research-backed labels.

She states these probably have been subjected to costly studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the label states about the efficacy of the item, it requires data to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other brands, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up