Supermarket Skincare Lookalikes Can Save Shoppers a Fortune. Yet, Do Affordable Skincare Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was launching a new skincare range that appeared similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold cap of both products look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate established brands and provide affordable alternatives to high-end items. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend certain alternatives to premium labels are good quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably better," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the experts also advise consumers do their research and state that higher-priced items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and promotion - often the increased cost also stems from the components and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' effectiveness, the expert says.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's important thinking about how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they may include filler ingredients that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

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

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been through costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by other brands, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the container are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up