🔗 Share this article High-Street Skincare Dupes Can Save Consumers a Bundle. But Do Budget Beauty Products Really Work? Rachael Parnell She comments with some alternatives she "cannot distinguish the difference". When one shopper learned Aldi was selling a recent product collection that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited". Rachael rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product. The sleek blue container and gold cap of both creams look remarkably alike. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far. She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company. Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent poll. Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name labels and offer cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. They typically have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably. Victoria Woollaston High-end vs affordable: Augustinus Bader's 50ml face cream retails for £240, while Aldi's recent Lacura face cream is £8.49. 'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior' Beauty specialists say many substitutes to premium labels are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive. "It is not true that higher-priced is invariably better," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the finest." "A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who runs a program featuring public figures. Numerous of the items based on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he says. Scott McGlynn Podcast host Scott McGlynn states a few budget items he has used are "fantastic". Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers. "These products will do the job," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree." A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, 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 budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains. 'Do Not Be Sold by the Box' However the experts also recommend buyers do their research and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the extra money. With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research employed to produce the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo says. Skin therapist another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively. Sometimes, she believes they may include filler ingredients that don't have as many benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected. "The key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks. Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product". "Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert suggests sticking to clinical brands for products with ingredients like retinol or vitamin C. Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using research-backed companies. The expert explains these probably have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are. Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional. If the company states about the performance of the item, it must have research to support it, "however the seller does not always have to do the trials" and can instead use studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies. Check the Ingredients List of the Container Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is poor? Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up