Supermarket Beauty Alternatives Might Save You a Bundle. But Do Budget Beauty Items Actually Work?

Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard Aldi was selling a fresh beauty line that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of the two products look noticeably similar. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic bigger name labels and provide cost-effective options to luxury products. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend many alternatives to premium labels are decent standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program featuring famous people.

Many of the products based on high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the professionals also recommend consumers check details and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just funding the label and marketing - often the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to produce the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist another professional suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that don't have as numerous benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to do the testing" and can instead use evidence completed by other brands, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components 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, benzel peroxide" being {high up