Can you rely on dupe culture in beauty?

Although the lucrative price points of dupes may keep you from contemplating the many consequences of indulging in them, they are undeniably a double-edged sword

TikTok may have been drummed out of India, but its influence remains to be persistently prominent even after three years of the ban, especially in the territories of fashion and beauty. Despite Instagram’s presence as the platform to channelise your creativity, showcase your talent and monetise them both through paid promotions and sponsored content, one can’t overlook the monumental impact of TikTok’s trends in determining the ‘viral’ and ‘trending’ content. Amongst the many trends that have appeared and disappeared on TikTok, that of dupe culture seems to have carved a niche for itself. 

Whether it’s Birkenstock’s sandals, Uniqlo’s viral roomy Shoulder Bag, or celebrity-favourite make-up products from Charlotte Tilbury, YSL Beauty, Gucci, Patrick Ta and Pat McGrath, content creators are increasingly trying to present newer dupes for classic but exorbitant picks.. In fact, American drugstore beauty brand e.l.f. Cosmetics’ entire renaissance thrives on the agency of dupes, confirms a report by Retail Brew. Although the lucrative price points of dupes may keep you from contemplating the consequences of indulging in them, they are undeniably a double-edged sword. We speak to opinion leaders in the beauty industry to piece together the many unheeded denouements of the huge appetite for dupes.

Dissecting the craze

One search for “viral beauty dupes” on the Internet will throw several results on dupes of beauty products—skincare and make-up mostly—that serve as more reasonable alternatives to expensive, luxurious products; think La Mer’s Moisturising Cream, SkinCeuticals' Vitamin C Serum or Guerlain’s Sculpting Powder. Perfumes haven’t been spared either—you’ll come across a slew of dupe videos presenting cheaper clones of highly-coveted fragrances. The hashtag #dupe has over a whopping 5.2 billion views on TikTok, where the hype behind the trend was conceived, whereas the hashtag #beautydupes boast over 82.6 million views. Even on Instagram, the next big playground for dupe culture, over 3 lakh posts feature the hashtag #dupe. “The idea of dupes is an inevitable one on social media,” agrees Aanam Chashmawala, content creator and founder of Wearified.

Komal Basith, a beauty editor-turned-content creator shares a similar opinion. “With so much hype around so many products—marketing plays a more important role in beauty today than it ever has—anything that comes out with lots of fanfare and rave reviews, and at a premium price, is inevitably going to spawn dupes,” says Basith. “And it also has to do with more access to raw materials and packaging on the part of beauty brands. It’s not that difficult to ‘dupe’ a product compared to even 15 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Bindya Talluri, content creator and founder of Bindt Beauty, is on the fence when it comes to beauty dupes. “As a beauty influencer, I love dupes. There are brands that offer some amazing yet expensive products that I may not be able to afford and when I come across a dupe that gives me the same colour [as the original product], I would totally buy it,” says Talluri. “However, as a founder, formulation becomes key. Once people are happy with the formulation of the product and how it feels, I don’t think a dupe can replace that forever.”

Gen Z’s ardour for dupes is a big stimulus to the growth of the dupe culture across the world. According to a 2022 study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), 27 per cent of respondents (between the age of 15 and 24) said they simply don’t care if a product is fake. Zero points for guessing that the biggest motivator to opt for dupes, particularly for this age group, is the cost. While a high-school girl may want to show off sneakers from Balenciaga or glossy lips courtesy of Dior’s Lip Glow Oil, the fact that they cost a bomb and that there are reasonable alternatives available, makes the perfect case to convert them into a dupe loyalist. Mintel’s Global Consumer, Beauty, Personal Care & Household report from March 2023 testifies: “When it comes to their shopping behaviours for beauty and personal care products, 33 per cent of Indian consumers say they stopped buying a product because the price increased.”

Dupes versus originals

“As someone who has been creating beauty content for 12 years, I’ve tried to shed light on how dupes are typically ‘same shades for lesser’ but not necessarily the same formulations and quality,” says Chashmawala. “While many dupes can closely mimic the original product, there’s a chance that the quality might not be the same,” says Mumbai-based celebrity dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad. “Some dupes might not have the same high-quality or skin-friendly ingredients as the original product.” Talluri doesn’t mind shopping for dupes in the case of make-up, as long as it looks and feels similar to the original. However, she’s ambivalent about dupes in the case of skincare products. “Unfortunately, skincare and make-up take time to formulate, so when brands churn out products really quick, I am not convinced.”

Along the same lines, New Delhi-based dermatologist and author of Skin Sense, Dr Kiran Sethi, says, “I don’t believe in beauty dupes overall. Many companies would say, ‘this expensive product has 2 per cent salicylic acid and so do I’. But usually, the formulation matters a lot—2 per cent salicylic acid can be very efficacious, but it can also be useless or irritating; there’s a lot of different variation caused in products based on how they’re formulated.” However, Sethi does think that dupes may stem as a more sensible option in some cases. “I’ve used creams from La Mer and La Prairie, two uber-expensive brands, then Biologique Recherche, which is slightly cheaper, and even the good old Nivea Cream—the drugstore product that gave me the best moisturising effects. So, in such cases, you might consider dupes, because some brands are just selling you a result without telling you why, which usually means that it’s more magic and advertising than real.” 

Sethi also throws light on how two formulations containing a similar ingredient composition may be completely different in reality, and on the skin. “Every product with the same ingredient composition doesn’t deliver the exact same results. How is it formulated, what emulsifiers have been used, how stable is it and what pH does it have are really the important questions that you need to ask, particularly when shopping for products containing acids.” Sharad adds, “Some higher-end products have patented formulations that are difficult to replicate accurately. Dupe manufacturers might not have access to the same technology or processes to recreate these unique formulations. To keep costs down, dupe manufacturers might use less expensive or lower-quality ingredients as substitutes for the original product’s premium components. This can affect the efficacy of the product and sometimes give irritation, acne or rashes.”

“I prefer using the original as much as I can because I tend to buy less and buy better quality,” says Basith. “I haven’t really enjoyed them [dupes] as I like the look and feel of high-end make-up; it isn’t just about the formula. I don’t particularly enjoy opening up a blush palette with a flimsy plastic cover, for instance, even if it is a fraction of the cost of the blush it’s meant to be replicating. I go through makeup slowly—I don’t mind spending more on something that I know is going to last. With regard to skincare, I’ve only used one dupe and having used both the expensive original and the ‘dupe’ with similar ingredients, there wasn’t a huge difference.”

Even Chashmawala notices a considerable difference in the case of the experience of dupes and originals. “I do think that one could find a dupe for the original when it comes to shade match. But I don’t think it’s possible to have an end-to-end dupe, with packaging and product experience being the same, perhaps, in a year or so, things change, owing to the rise of dupe-based brands.”

Does dupe culture encourage over-consumption?

In a way, yes. The postulation of dupe culture thrives on the very basis of shopping for products—not one luxury product or investment—that are easy on the pocket, which indirectly leaves more disposable income, and thereby shopping power. “You’d be more tempted to buy a bunch of dupes just because you can, instead of trying a sample of the original product and just buying that. Sometimes, you’d end up buying and even spending far less,” says Basith.

Sharad highlights how the fear of missing out can push a consumer to buy everything on their radar. “In the beauty community, there's often a fear of missing out on the latest trends or products. This can drive consumers to buy more, even if they don't truly need the products,” says the skincare professional, “and the allure of finding a cheaper version of a coveted high-end product can lead to impulse buying. Some consumers might develop a habit of collecting numerous dupes to have a variety of options. If consumers perceive that they can easily replace a product with a cheaper dupe, they might not place as much value on any one item.”

Talluri and Chashmawala, on the contrary, believe that consumers are smart today—they know exactly what they need. “Someone with an intent to purchase, will purchase—whether it’s a dupe for a high-end product or something totally different. So I don’t think we’re creating a new purchasing market per se, but enabling someone to find what they want at a lower price point from the shade perspective,” says Chashmawala. We cannot ignore the fact that dupes do unlock the opportunity across demographics to try new beauty products by eliminating the constraints that hefty prices bring. However, mindfulness is then key. One needs to be conscious about what and how much they are shopping for and realise that a dupe may not be at par with the original product in many cases.

“Read up about the formula—try it if you can—and when it comes to skincare, try not to get caught up with FOMO,” suggests Basith. “It’s important to do thorough research, read reviews and consider factors like your skin type and ethical stance before opting for a dupe over the original product,” concludes Sharad.

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