Rachael Parnell
When Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was offering a recent beauty line that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".
She hurried to her local store to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.
The sleek blue tube and gold lid of the two products look noticeably alike. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.
She has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.
More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February poll.
Lookalikes are beauty items that copy well-known labels and present affordable options to luxury products. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can differ considerably.
Victoria Woollaston
'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'
Skincare specialists argue some substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable quality and aid make skincare more affordable.
"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."
"Some [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a program with public figures.
Many of the items based on luxury brands "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.
"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a acceptable level."
Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.
"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.
'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'
However the experts also recommend shoppers check details and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the additional cost.
Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just covering the brand and promotion - sometimes the higher price also is due to the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research used to produce the item, and studies into the products' performance, the expert notes.
Skin therapist she says it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.
In some cases, she says they could include less effective components that do not provide as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.
"One major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.
Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".
"Do not be convinced by the container," he cautioned.
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Regarding advanced products or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends selecting research-backed companies.
The expert explains these probably have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.
Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.
When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to verify it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use testing completed by other companies, she says.
Read the Label of the Pack
Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?
Components on the label of the bottle are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up
