Grocery Store Skincare Alternatives Could Save You a Bundle. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Really Work?

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was launching a recent skincare range that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold lid of each creams look strikingly similar. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide budget-friendly options to premium items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals contend some alternatives to premium brands are decent standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is always superior," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget product line is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a program about celebrities.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end labels "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the experts also recommend shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the brand and marketing - sometimes the increased cost also is due to the formula and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science used to create the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist she suggests it's valuable thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they might have less effective components that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

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

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he added.

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For more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends selecting medical-grade brands.

She says these typically have been through expensive studies to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up