Supermarket Skincare Alternatives Can Save You a Bundle. However, Do Affordable Beauty Products Perform?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard Aldi was launching a fresh beauty line that seemed akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her local store to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue tube and gold cap of each items look noticeably similar. Although Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and present budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. They often have alike labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts say many dupes to premium labels are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily better," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," says a podcast host, who presents a program with famous people.

Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers check details and say that more expensive products are at times worthy of the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - at times the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to produce the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist she says it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises selecting research-backed companies.

She says these probably have been through costly tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "but the seller does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead reference testing completed by different companies, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up