🔗 Share this article Supermarket Skincare Alternatives Can Save Consumers a Bundle. However, Do Budget Beauty Items Actually Work? Rachael Parnell Rachael states with a few dupes she "fails to see the distinction". After discovering a consumer found out a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited". She hurried to her local outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream. The smooth blue packaging and gold cap of the two creams look remarkably alike. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far. She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone. Over a 25% of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study. Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established companies and offer cost-effective alternatives to luxury products. These products often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the components can vary substantially. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: Augustinus Bader's 50ml face cream is priced at £240, while the supermarket's recent store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better' Beauty professionals contend some dupes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines cheaper. "It is not true that more expensive is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the top." "Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a program about public figures. Numerous of the items based on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn says a few affordable items he has used are "amazing". Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes. "Dupes will do the job," he says. "They will do the basics to a reasonable level." Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient. "When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains. 'Don't Be Swayed by the Box' However the experts also suggest consumers do their research and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the premium price. Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - at times the increased price also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the science employed to create the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, she says. Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's worth questioning how some dupes can be priced so cheaply. Sometimes, she believes they may include less effective components that do not provide as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected. "One major uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks. Commentator McGlynn says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product". "Do not be sold by the packaging," he added. SimpleImages/Getty Images Dr Bhate suggests choosing established brands for products with components like retinol or ascorbic acid. For advanced items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels. She states these probably have been through costly tests to determine how efficacious they are. Skincare products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth. If the brand states about the performance of the item, it must have research to verify it, "however the brand does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use evidence conducted by different brands, she clarifies. Read the Label of the Pack Are there any components that could indicate a product is inferior? Ingredients on the list of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up