🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out Aldi was launching a fresh skincare range that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of both items look remarkably comparable. And though she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known companies and offer cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. They often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts argue some alternatives to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably more effective," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who hosts a program featuring famous people.

Many of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the specialists also suggest buyers investigate and say that more expensive items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - often the elevated price also is due to the components and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research employed to create the item, and tests into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert she argues it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they could include less effective components that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert states these probably have been through expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

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

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence completed by other firms, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

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