🔗 Share this article Grocery Store Beauty Lookalikes Could Save You Hundreds. Yet, Do Affordable Beauty Items Actually Work? Rachael Parnell She says with a few lookalikes she "can't tell the distinction". Upon hearing one shopper found out a discounter was offering a recent skincare range that seemed similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited". Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product. Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both products look noticeably comparable. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far. She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company. Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recent survey. Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known companies and present budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. They often have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the components can differ considerably. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: One brand's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while Aldi's recent store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'High-Priced Is Not Always Better' Skincare specialists argue certain substitutes to high-end labels are decent standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive. "It is not true that more expensive is always superior," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the top." "Certain [dupes] are really impressive," says a podcast host, who presents a program about public figures. A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn claims a few budget items he has used are "fantastic". Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers. "Dupes will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable level." Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane. "When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says. 'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box' But the professionals also recommend consumers check details and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the additional cost. With premium skincare, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - often the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to create the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert notes. Facialist she argues it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost. In some cases, she states they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality. "One big uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks. Expert McGlynn admits sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product". "Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned. SimpleImages/Getty Images The dermatologist recommends choosing clinical brands for products with components like vitamin A or ascorbic acid. For advanced items or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests selecting research-backed labels. She states these probably have been subjected to expensive tests to determine how effective they are. Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth. When the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the brand doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead reference testing completed by different brands, she adds. Read the Label of the Container Is there any components that could suggest a product is inferior? Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up