High-Street Beauty Alternatives Could Save You Hundreds. However, Do Budget Skincare Products Perform?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was launching a recent product collection that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her local outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly alike. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established companies and offer cost-effective options to luxury products. They often have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists argue many alternatives to premium labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring public figures.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also recommend consumers check details and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the extra money.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the name and marketing - at times the increased cost also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert says.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they may have filler ingredients that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced items or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to expensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the performance of the product, it needs data to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead reference evidence done by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could signal a item is low-quality?

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