🔗 Share this article High-Street Beauty Alternatives Can Save You Hundreds. However, Do Affordable Skincare Items Perform? Rachael Parnell Rachael says with some alternatives she "can't tell the difference". When a consumer found out a supermarket was offering a new product collection that appeared similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited". Rachael hurried to her local shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream. The sleek blue tube and gold cap of both creams look remarkably alike. While Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far. She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend. Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February poll. Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can change considerably. Victoria Woollaston Luxury vs budget: One brand's 50ml face cream is priced at £240, while the supermarket's new store-brand face cream is £8.49. 'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior' Beauty specialists contend certain alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and assist make skincare more affordable. "In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the best." "Some [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who hosts a show about celebrities. Many of the products based on high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes. Scott McGlynn Skincare expert Scott McGlynn claims a few affordable items he has used are "great". Skin specialist another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers. "Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "They will do the basics to a satisfactory level." A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient. "When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she says. 'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container' Yet the professionals also advise consumers do their research and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the premium price. With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the key component, the technology employed to create the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert explains. Facialist another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively. In some cases, she believes they could contain less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality. "The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks. Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original". "Do not be sold by the container," he added. SimpleImages/Getty Images An expert suggests choosing clinical labels for products with ingredients like retinol or ascorbic acid. Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to medical-grade brands. The expert states these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are. Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor another professional. If the label states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to back it up, "however the seller does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead reference testing completed by different brands, she clarifies. Check the Label of the Container Is there any components that could signal a item is poor? Components on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up