Supermarket Skincare Alternatives Can Save You Hundreds. Yet, Do Economical Beauty Items Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper found out a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each creams look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established brands and present budget-friendly alternatives to luxury items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists say certain dupes to luxury brands are good quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

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

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the experts also advise buyers do their research and say that costlier items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - at times the elevated price also is due to the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's performance, she notes.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's worth questioning how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they might contain less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.

When the label states about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to verify it, "however the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use studies completed by different firms, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up