🔗 Share this article High-Street Skincare Lookalikes Can Save You Hundreds. Yet, Do Affordable Skincare Items Really Work? Rachael Parnell She states with certain alternatives she "cannot distinguish the difference". When a consumer found out a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that looked akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited". Rachael dashed to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item. Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of the two products look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far. Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company. More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent poll. Lookalikes are skincare products that copy established brands and offer affordable substitutes to luxury products. These products often have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can vary substantially. Victoria Woollaston High-end vs affordable: One brand's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while Aldi's new store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior' Skincare professionals contend some substitutes to premium brands are decent standard and aid make skincare more affordable. "I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the top." "A number of [dupes] are really amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a program with celebrities. Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn states a few budget items he has used are "great". Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes. "Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory degree." A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane. "If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains. 'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container' But the experts also suggest shoppers do their research and state that more expensive products are sometimes worthy of the additional cost. Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and promotion - often the elevated price also stems from the formula and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to produce the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains. Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply. Occasionally, she states they may have filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced. "One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says. Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product". "Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he added. SimpleImages/Getty Images The dermatologist suggests sticking to established brands for items with ingredients like retinol or ascorbic acid. Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to more specialised labels. The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how efficacious they are. Skincare products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says expert another professional. If the brand states about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to support it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite testing done by different firms, she clarifies. Check the Back of the Bottle Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality? Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up