Grocery Store Beauty Alternatives Could Save Consumers a Bundle. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of both products look remarkably alike. While Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established companies and provide affordable substitutes to luxury items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts say many dupes to luxury labels are good quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast about famous people.

A lot of of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend shoppers investigate and state that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the research utilized to produce the product, and tests into the products' performance, she says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they might have bulking agents that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced products or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises using more specialised brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies done by different brands, she says.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up