Grocery Store Beauty Alternatives Can Save You Hundreds. But Do Budget Skincare Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold top of each creams look strikingly comparable. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, as per a February survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name labels and provide affordable substitutes to premium items. These products frequently have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts contend many alternatives to premium brands are decent standard and assist make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is invariably better," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a show about celebrities.

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

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

But the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and say that more expensive products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the name and marketing - sometimes the increased price also stems from the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research utilized to develop the product, and tests into the item's performance, she notes.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they could contain filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the item has "no connection to the original".

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

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding advanced items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

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

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead cite testing conducted by other firms, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the container are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up