🔗 Share this article Grocery Store Skincare Lookalikes Might Save You a Bundle. But Do Budget Skincare Items Perform? Rachael Parnell She says with certain lookalikes she "can't tell the distinction". Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was offering a new product collection that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited". The shopper hurried to her nearest store to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item. Its smooth blue container and gold lid of each creams look noticeably alike. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far. Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company. Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a February survey. Alternatives are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and present cost-effective substitutes to luxury items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: One brand's 50ml face cream costs £240, while Aldi's new Lacura face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Isn't Always Better' Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to high-end brands are good quality and help make skincare less expensive. "It is not true that more expensive is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top." "Certain [dupes] are really amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a show featuring public figures. A lot of of the products inspired by high-end brands "disappear so fast, it's just insane," he remarks. Scott McGlynn Skincare expert Scott McGlynn claims certain affordable items he has tested are "fantastic". Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes. "Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable degree." Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient. "If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains. 'Don't Be Influenced by the Container' Yet the experts also advise buyers investigate and note that costlier products are at times worthy of the extra money. With premium beauty products, you're not only covering the name and marketing - at times the higher price also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science employed to develop the item, and studies into the item's effectiveness, she says. Skin therapist another professional says it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply. In some cases, she says they could contain less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced. "One big question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks. Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product". "Don't be sold by the packaging," he warned. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert advises opting for clinical brands for items with components like vitamin A or ascorbic acid. Regarding potent products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade brands. The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how effective they are. Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth. When the company states about the performance of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "however the brand does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference testing conducted by other companies, she clarifies. Read the Ingredients List of the Pack Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior? Components on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up