Grocery Store Skincare Alternatives Might Save Consumers Hundreds. But Do Affordable Skincare Products Actually Work?
Rachael Parnell
Upon hearing a consumer found out Aldi was offering a new skincare range that appeared akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".
She rushed to her local outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for ÂŁ8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the ÂŁ240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.
Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of the two items look strikingly similar. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.
Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.
More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.
Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established companies and offer budget-friendly alternatives to luxury items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.
Victoria Woollaston
'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'
Skincare experts say many alternatives to premium brands are decent quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.
"It is not true that costlier is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget product line is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."
"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about public figures.
A lot of of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.
Scott McGlynn
Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.
"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable degree."
A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.
"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.
'Don't Be Sold by the Box'
Yet the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.
Regarding premium skincare, you're not only covering the brand and promotion - at times the higher cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' performance, she says.
Skin therapist she argues it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.
In some cases, she believes they may contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.
"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.
Expert Scott says in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".
"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.
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For more complicated products or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.
The expert states these typically have been through costly studies to determine how effective they are.
Skincare items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.
When the brand states about the performance of the product, it must have data to verify it, "but the seller does not always have to conduct the trials" and can instead use studies completed by different brands, she adds.
Examine the Label of the Container
Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is low-quality?
Components on the back of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up
