🔗 Share this article Supermarket Skincare Alternatives Might Save You Hundreds. But Do Budget Skincare Items Perform? Rachael Parnell Rachael states with certain dupes she "can't tell the variation". When a consumer heard a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that appeared akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited". She hurried to her nearest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream. The smooth blue tube and gold lid of the two items look remarkably comparable. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far. She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company. More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February study. Dupes are beauty items that mimic established companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the components can change considerably. Victoria Woollaston High-end vs affordable: One brand's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while the supermarket's new Lacura face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Isn't Always Better' Skincare professionals contend certain dupes to luxury labels are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive. "It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the top." "A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program featuring famous people. A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he observes. Scott McGlynn Skincare expert Scott McGlynn says some budget items he has tested are "great". Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers. "These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a satisfactory degree." Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane. "When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in using a budget alternative or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she says. 'Don't Be Swayed by the Container' Yet the experts also advise buyers investigate and state that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost. With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - at times the increased price tag also is due to the components and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains. Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost. Occasionally, she says they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected. "One big question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks. Expert Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product". "Do not be fooled by the container," he cautioned. SimpleImages/Getty Images Dr Bhate recommends choosing established labels for items with ingredients like vitamin A or ascorbic acid. Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to medical-grade labels. She explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are. Beauty items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth. If the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to support it, "however the seller doesn't always have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite testing done by different brands, she says. Check the Label of the Pack Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is inferior? Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up