Grocery Store Beauty Lookalikes Could Save You a Fortune. Yet, Do Budget Skincare Items Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out Aldi was offering a new skincare range that looked similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of the two items look noticeably similar. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic bigger name labels and present affordable substitutes to high-end products. They often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend some substitutes to premium labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," says a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "They will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

However the professionals also suggest shoppers check details and state that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just funding the name and advertising - often the increased cost also stems from the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the technology used to create the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, she explains.

Skin therapist another professional says it's important considering how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests sticking to medical-grade labels.

The expert states these typically have been subjected to costly studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence completed by other companies, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up