What do we think about dupes?

More affordable companies making cheaper alternatives to higher end products is nothing new, however this whole ‘dupes borderlining rip off’ is something that is very big nowadays. Let me just show you these pictures and think about what you see

The first picture is off Aldi’s Facebook page and the second and third pictures are the Pixi Glow Tonic and the Sand&Sky Brilliant Skin Mask. That is insane how similar the products are!! Not even mentioning how the names are very similar and the concepts are identical, however will the formulas be anywhere near the same? With that big of a price difference probably not especially when it comes to skin care. Take the Pixi Glow Tonic and the Lacura Healthy Glow Toner, there is a £14 price difference but that amount per bottle will contribute towards the better ingredients. Looking into both ingredients they are very similar, they have the same key ingredients and they both contain not so natural ingredients. Regardless whether they do the same thing or not is it morally or even legally okay to rip of a companies concept, packaging, name and ingredients list? I feel like this is a grey area when it comes to the law due to trademarking, companies have to provide extra evidence that their product packaging is unique or only relatable to their company for a trademark to occur, and if their packaging is easy to make or is very generic they aren’t likely to be able to trademark it as their own. So this will lead to companies having no legal leg to stand on when situations like this one occurs. The dupe companies aren’t creating ‘counterfeit’ products so technically they are not breaking any trademark laws, they are able to use any generic packaging or concept and create the dupe community.

Another brand which I feel like do this are Revolution Beauty (formally known as Makeup Revolution), they released an eyeshadow palette called the “Light and Shade Eyeshadow Palette” which was very similar to the Kat Von D “Shade and Light Eyeshadow Palette“, Kat Von D then took to her YouTube channel to show all the hard work she put into her products for them then to be ‘ripped off’ from her. Were Revolution wrong to do that? To take a high end product and create it in their own formula at a cheaper price? I would say yes and no.

As someone who isn’t into high end make up and wants to save my money to spend on my family, friends, significant other or things which enrich my life I cannot justify spending £37 on a very basic eyeshadow like the Kat Von D one, and with Revolution selling a very similar product but for £29 less I am more likely to go with the Revolution one. Brands like Revolution who make affordable dupes for higher end makeup as well as their own products are something which is growing and was wanted within the beauty community, it allowed people with less money to not feel like they were less than others for not having a disposable budget on beauty products because they could have similar products for a price they could afford. However I can see Kat Von D’s side of it, that company will have put a lot of money and time into their designs and formula for another brand to see it and copy it, that can be quite disheartening especially for smaller brands who are trying to get their products out there. I feel like there is no real answer for this, it’s all down to your personal opinion. In the eyes of the law this duping trend is allowed as it is not exactly infringing any trademarking laws however morally it can be a bit blurred.

I personally believe that companies making more affordable alternatives to high end or luxury products is great because it removes the elitism of the beauty community and allows people to express themselves at a price they can afford with a higher level of quality. But if you are a big company just ripping off another companies idea or product then you are not doing it the right way, you are giving yourself a negative reputation.

I would love to know what you guys think? Do you think it is just ripping off someone else’s hard work? Or do you think it is giving the people what they want for cheaper?