Three cult beauty product dupes that will save you TENS of pounds

25 June 2019, 10:05

We share three dupes for cult skincare brands. Picture: Heart

By Nicola Bonn

Heart's Beauty Expert Nicola Bonn lists affordable alternatives to some of the most expensive cult skincare products available.... and one of them is over £100 less!

You don't need to spend loads of money to get great skin.

Even though some of the best products cost £100 or more, you can find cheaper alternatives that do a really similar job.

Here are some of my favourite alternatives to expensive cult skincare products.

For every great product there are cheaper alternatives. Picture: Heart

Cult

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic: Buy it for £135 here

Ask any dermatologist and the chances are that they will use/swear by/recommend Skinceuticals CE Ferulic. This supercharged serum is brimming with anti-oxidants to protect the skin from environmental damage and 15% pure Vitamin C to help brighten, reduce pigmentation and even reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Use it every morning after cleansing and the results should speak for themselves.

Budget

Garden of Wisdom Vitamin C Serum 23% + Ferulic Acid: Buy it for £10 here

I love how affordable this cruelty free serum is. It has a really high percentage of Vitamin C and the Ferulic Acid not only helps to stop it from oxidising (once vit c has oxidised it is basically off rendering it useless) but also helps to protect the skin from sun damage.

I would say that this is a great alternative to the C E Ferulic. The only caveat is that the texture isn't that great under make-up so I'd probably use this as part of your PM routine.

Superdrug has a budget version of the iconic Pixi Glow Tonic. Picture: Heart

Cult

Pixi Glow Tonic: £12 (reduced from £18) here

I'm a huge fan of Glow Tonic and am not surprised that it has gained cult status. It mixes 5% glycol acid with lovely soothing ingredients including Aloe Vera and gives your skin a gentle but effective exfoliation leaving it healthy and glowing . Swipe over your skin with a pad after cleansing both AM and PM. (Glycolic Acid isn't for everyone. If you suffer with blocked pores or acne go for Salicylic).

Budget

Superdrug Natural Radiant Gylcolic Toner: £2.97 here

This cheaper equivalent contains the same level of Glycolic Acid as the Pixi Glow and and combines it with kiwi fruit and mulberry extract to add to the brightening effect.

Some people have reported that it is slightly drying in comparison and that the exclusion of soothing aloe means that it can cause irritation but for the cost I think this is a really impressive offering from Superdrug (who do very good skincare).

There's £30 difference between these two excellent creams! Picture: Heart

Cult

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench: £41 here

I would say that this moisturiser (which contains 30% hyaluronic acid) is a cult product in the making. Make-up artist Cher Webb used this on me at our first Outspoken Beauty Live event before applying makeup and it was just incredible.

It feels like fresh water on the skin and gives a huge amount of hydration that sinks in really quickly leaving the skin luscious, glowing and perfectly primed. The texture is addictive!