High-Street Skincare Lookalikes Could Save Shoppers a Bundle. However, Do Budget Beauty Items Actually Work?
Rachael Parnell
Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a recent product collection that seemed comparable to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".
She rushed to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.
Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of both products look noticeably alike. And though she has not used the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.
Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.
More than a 25% of UK shoppers say they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.
Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known brands and present affordable alternatives to luxury products. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can change substantially.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Isn't Always Better'
Skincare experts say some substitutes to premium labels are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.
"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."
"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring public figures.
Numerous of the items modeled on high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist another professional argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.
"These products will do the job," he explains. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."
Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.
'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'
However the professionals also recommend buyers do their research and note that costlier products are at times worthy of the extra money.
With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - often the increased price also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.
Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's worth considering how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.
In some cases, she believes they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.
"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.
Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".
"Do not be sold by the container," he warned.
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For potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests using medical-grade companies.
The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.
Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.
When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to support it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference testing done by other firms, she adds.
Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle
Is there any components that could suggest a item is low-quality?
Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
