Grocery Store Skincare Lookalikes Could Save Consumers Hundreds. But Do Budget Skincare Items Perform?
Rachael Parnell
When a consumer found out a discounter was selling a recent product collection that appeared similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".
Rachael dashed to her local outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.
Its smooth blue tube and gold top of each products look remarkably similar. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.
She has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.
More than a 25% of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.
Lookalikes are skincare products that copy established companies and present affordable substitutes to high-end products. They often have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can vary considerably.
Victoria Woollaston
'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'
Skincare experts say certain dupes to premium labels are decent quality and aid make beauty routines less expensive.
"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."
"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a program with famous people.
A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he says.
Scott McGlynn
Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.
"Dupes will be effective," he says. "These items will do the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."
A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.
"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.
'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'
However the specialists also advise buyers do their research and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.
Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only funding the label and promotion - at times the elevated price also comes from the components and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the technology used to create the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, she explains.
Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's important questioning how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.
In some cases, she states they may have bulking agents that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.
"The big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.
Podcast host McGlynn admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".
"Don't be sold by the packaging," he cautioned.
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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to more specialised brands.
She states these will likely have been through comprehensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.
Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.
When the company advertises about the efficacy of the item, it needs research to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence completed by other companies, she says.
Check the Label of the Container
Is there any components that could suggest a item is inferior?
Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up
