High-Street Skincare Lookalikes Can Save Consumers Hundreds. Yet, Do Economical Skincare Items Perform?

Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard Aldi was launching a new skincare range that appeared similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue container and gold lid of the two items look remarkably similar. And though she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known brands and present cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts argue certain alternatives to premium labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably better," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the specialists also suggest buyers do their research and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - at times the elevated price also comes from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the technology employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they could include filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using research-backed companies.

The expert explains these will likely have been through comprehensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing done by different firms, she adds.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up