Dupes In Beauty

Comparable to the trickle down theory in fashion, when an expensive item is made eventually a cheaper retailer will make a knock off product. This has been a large trend in beauty where luxury retail brands are having their products replicated by cheaper makeup brands. One major brand successfully doing this is E.l.f. They are now the fourth-largest mass company in the US due to their quick product turnarounds and amazing marketing plans. The brand has become very popular among younger generations, due to its low costs, but still remains a top seller for older generations. The brand offers a wide variety of products and even made a television debut at the Super Bowl this year, showcasing a product that went viral on TikTok. Dupes in beauty can definitely be degrading for larger brands. They spend the time to create a concept, develop the product, and market it just for the product to potentially be replicated at a cheaper price.

An example of a product E.l.f. has made a dupe for is the poreless putty primer, a replicate of Tatcha's silk canvas primer. The Tatcha product retails for $54 while E.l.f.'s retails for $10.

Another product is the E.l.f. power grip primer which retails for $10, and is a dupe for the Milk Hydro Grip primer that retails for $38.

The last example is the E.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter that retails for $14. This product is a dupe for the Flawless Filter Foundation by Charlotte Tilbury which retails for $49.

Brands continue to create dupes for products which may be a good thing for consumers, since they can try a replicate of product going viral for a lower price.

Other Articles Similar To This Topic:

https://www.businessoffashion.com/case-studies/beauty/elf-beauty-brand-strategy-cosmetics-skin-care/

https://www.self.com/story/best-drugstore-makeup-dupes