Supermarket Beauty Alternatives Could Save You Hundreds. But Do Economical Beauty Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned Aldi was launching a new beauty line that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her nearest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both items look strikingly comparable. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name labels and offer budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty professionals contend certain dupes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily superior," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the products based on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "These items will perform the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest shoppers check details and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only funding the name and promotion - often the higher price also stems from the formula and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the research used to produce the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they may include filler ingredients that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises sticking to medical-grade brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the item, it requires research to back it up, "however the seller doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by different firms, she says.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up