Quality, composition, health risks… What are the “dupes”, these carbon copies of makeup from big brands, worth?

They are a hit in the beauty world. The “dupes”, copies of major makeup brands, look exactly like the originals. But is the copy really worth the original?

The keywords #dupe and #dupes have more than 600,000 publications on Instagram. Not to mention the thousands of videos from makeup specialists on YouTube, who advise the best “dupes” to buy. Derived from the English version of “duplicate”, these little favorites of makeup lovers are true carbon copies of products sold by major brands. Except that we find them in supermarkets, or in hard-discount stores. Same bottle, almost identical logo, but the difference is mainly found in the price.

For three products, a foundation, a bronzer, and a lipstick, the originals cost more than 90 euros. The dupe versions barely cost 20 euros. What justifies this price difference? First response with Christine Lafforgue, biologist and chemist specializing in the design of cosmetic products, and lecturer at Paris-Saclay University: “If we take, for example, these lipsticks, for the original version, which contains around fifteen ingredients, we are already at more than 20 for the ‘dupe'”, she analyzes. The “luxury” brand has notably “chose a multifunctional ingredient, which fulfills many roles at the same time, but which is a slightly more expensive raw material”, whereas in the copy there are more ingredients, but which cost less, because they are less complex to manufacture.

Then, it all depends on the end result you are looking for. When testing the two foundations, “there is one that blends in a little better than the other”notes Christine Lafforgue. However, “cosmetics is very individual, estimates the specialistperhaps some will prefer a product that is difficult to apply, that requires work, and others, things that cannot be worked on.

Then comes the question many may ask: does “cheaper” mean “more dangerous”? On this, Christine Lafforgue is categorical, “there is no problem”.

“Whatever the type of product, they all obey the same regulations and the same safety needs.”

Christine Lafforgue, biologist and chemist specializing in the design of cosmetic products

at franceinfo

This applies to all products sold in France, she assures. However, this does not prevent certain controversial ingredients from being found, such as endocrine disruptors, although authorized in France, in certain products, whether originals or copies. The other danger, warns Christine Lafforgue, lies in cosmetics sold on foreign sites, especially when the list of ingredients is not available: “We are wary, and we avoid buying” in this case.