🔗 Share this article Supermarket Beauty Dupes Can Save Consumers Hundreds. However, Do Economical Beauty Items Really Work? Rachael Parnell Rachael comments with some alternatives she "fails to see the distinction". After discovering a consumer learned Aldi was offering a new product collection that seemed similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited". Rachael hurried to her local store to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product. The smooth blue container and gold cap of the two items look remarkably comparable. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far. She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone. More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent poll. Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and offer affordable options to high-end items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ considerably. Victoria Woollaston High-end vs affordable: One brand's 50ml face cream is priced at £240, while Aldi's recent Lacura face cream is £8.49. 'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior' Beauty specialists say certain substitutes to luxury brands are decent standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper. "I don't think higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest." "Some [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast featuring famous people. A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn states a few budget products he has used are "great". Medical expert another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes. "These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable standard." Another skin doctor, advises you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient. "If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains. 'Don't Be Influenced by the Box' However the professionals also recommend buyers do their research and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the extra money. With luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and marketing - at times the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the research employed to create the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, she notes. Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively. Occasionally, she states they might have bulking agents that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality. "One big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks. Expert Scott admits sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product". "Do not be sold by the packaging," he added. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert recommends opting for clinical labels for products with components like retinol or vitamin C. Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade labels. She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are. Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert another professional. If the brand states about the performance of the product, it must have data to support it, "but the brand does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by other firms, she says. Check the Label of the Pack Is there any ingredients that could suggest a item is low-quality? Ingredients on the back of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up