High-Street Beauty Alternatives Could Save Shoppers a Fortune. Yet, Do Budget Beauty Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a new beauty line that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her local outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold cap of both creams look remarkably similar. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK consumers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide affordable options to luxury items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists contend some substitutes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast featuring famous people.

Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest consumers investigate and say that costlier products are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - at times the increased cost also stems from the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science employed to produce the item, and tests into the item's performance, she explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they could have less effective components that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For potent products or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she suggests selecting more specialised companies.

She explains these typically have been through expensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite studies completed by other companies, she adds.

Read the Label of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a item is poor?

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