🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a discounter was offering a recent skincare range that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her local outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold top of the two items look strikingly alike. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and present affordable substitutes to luxury items. They often have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists argue certain alternatives to premium brands are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," adds a podcast host, who hosts a podcast with celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and state that costlier items are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - at times the increased cost also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to develop the item, and tests into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they may have less effective components that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

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

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the container," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For more complicated products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests using research-backed labels.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up