🔗 Share this article High-Street Beauty Alternatives Could Save Consumers Hundreds. However, Do Affordable Skincare Products Really Work? Rachael Parnell Rachael comments with a few lookalikes she "cannot distinguish the variation". Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a new skincare range that seemed akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited". Rachael dashed to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product. The smooth blue container and gold top of each creams look remarkably comparable. And though she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far. Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend. Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published study. Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established brands and provide affordable substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can vary considerably. Victoria Woollaston High-end vs affordable: One brand's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while Aldi's new Lacura face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Isn't Always Better' Skincare specialists contend some substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable. "In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily superior," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top." "A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a podcast host, who presents a show featuring celebrities. Numerous of the products based on luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just insane," he says. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn says certain affordable items he has used are "amazing". Medical expert Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers. "Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable level." Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane. "If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains. 'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging' However the experts also recommend buyers do their research and state that costlier products are sometimes worth the extra money. Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the name and advertising - sometimes the increased price tag also stems from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research used to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says. Facialist another professional suggests it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply. Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected. "One big question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks. Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established label but the item has "no connection to the original". "Don't be convinced by the packaging," he cautioned. SimpleImages/Getty Images Dr Bhate suggests opting for clinical labels for items with ingredients like retinol or vitamin C. For more complicated products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade labels. She states these will likely have been through costly trials to assess how efficacious they are. Beauty items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth. When the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it must have data to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead reference testing conducted by different companies, she clarifies. Read the Back of the Container Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is poor? Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up