Grocery Store Beauty Dupes Can Save Consumers a Fortune. But Do Affordable Skincare Items Perform?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that looked similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her local store to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold top of both items look strikingly comparable. And though she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established labels and provide affordable substitutes to luxury products. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts contend many substitutes to premium labels are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably more effective," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about celebrities.

Numerous of the products inspired by luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

However the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and say that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - often the higher price also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist she suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they may have filler ingredients that do not provide as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises using more specialised labels.

She states these typically have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.

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

When the label states about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead cite studies done by other firms, she says.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the back of the container are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up