🔗 Share this article High-Street Skincare Alternatives Might Save Shoppers a Bundle. But Do Budget Skincare Products Really Work? Rachael Parnell She states with a few lookalikes she "cannot distinguish the distinction". When one shopper learned a supermarket was launching a new product collection that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited". The shopper rushed to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item. The sleek blue tube and gold cap of both creams look remarkably comparable. While she has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far. Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend. More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February poll. Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate well-known companies and provide affordable substitutes to high-end items. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can change significantly. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: Augustinus Bader's 50ml face cream is priced at £240, while Aldi's recent store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Isn't Always Better' Beauty specialists say some alternatives to high-end brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable. "It is not true that more expensive is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the finest." "A number of [dupes] are really impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a program with celebrities. A lot of of the products modeled on high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes. Scott McGlynn Skincare expert Scott McGlynn says some budget items he has tested are "great". Medical expert a doctor believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes. "Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable level." A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient. "If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains. 'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container' Yet the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and state that higher-priced products are at times worth the additional cost. With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the name and advertising - at times the higher cost also comes from the components and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the research employed to produce the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, the expert explains. Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost. Occasionally, she believes they might contain less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected. "One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks. Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product". "Don't be sold by the container," he cautioned. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert recommends sticking to clinical brands for products with ingredients like retinol or vitamin C. Regarding more complicated products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to medical-grade companies. The expert explains these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how successful they are. Skincare products need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional. When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to support it, "however the brand does not always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by other companies, she adds. Examine the Label of the Bottle Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is low-quality? Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up