🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was launching a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of the two creams look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly options to luxury items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Beauty experts argue certain substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all affordable product line is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program with celebrities.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the professionals also recommend shoppers do their research and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - sometimes the increased cost also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the science utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

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

Sometimes, she says they could have filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the item has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be sold by the container," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using more specialised labels.

She says these will likely have been through expensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to support it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference testing conducted by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up