Grocery Store Skincare Dupes Could Save Consumers a Bundle. However, Do Affordable Skincare Items Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard Aldi was offering a new beauty line that appeared akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold top of both items look remarkably alike. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide cost-effective alternatives to premium items. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue some substitutes to high-end brands are good standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is always more effective," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes a podcast host, who runs a podcast about celebrities.

Many of the items based on luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will do the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the specialists also recommend buyers check details and state that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the name and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also stems from the components and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to produce the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional says it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they might have less effective components that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using research-backed brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to costly tests to assess how efficacious they are.

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

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "but the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence conducted by different brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is inferior?

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