🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper found out Aldi was offering a new beauty line that seemed akin to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of each items look remarkably similar. Although she has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK buyers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic bigger name labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists argue certain dupes to premium labels are good quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always superior," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," notes a podcast host, who hosts a show featuring celebrities.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional thinks alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the specialists also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just funding the name and advertising - sometimes the increased price also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the key component, the science used to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert she says it's important questioning how certain dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might have less effective components that do not provide as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

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

Expert McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade brands.

She states these probably have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use evidence completed by other brands, she says.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up