🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was selling a new beauty line that looked comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her nearest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of the two products look noticeably similar. And though she has not used the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide affordable substitutes to luxury products. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts contend many substitutes to luxury labels are good quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable skincare brand is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast with famous people.

Many of the items based on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the specialists also recommend buyers investigate and state that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just funding the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to produce the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, the expert explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's worth considering how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they might include less effective components that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting medical-grade companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label states about the performance of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use testing completed by different brands, she clarifies.

Check the Label of the Pack

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

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