Let’s Talk About Dupes!

Dupe culture is all the rage right now...but what about the sustainability aspect of it all? It feels like almost every product out there has a dupe. At first dupes started out as just being a product that already existed in the market that people just realized were basically the same but for a cheaper price. Now brands are creating dupes after the higher end version is already out, just to offer a cheaper version. While I believe beauty should be accessible to all who want it, this causes a serious issue in excess product in the world. With every product having a dupe, that creates two maybe even three times more packaging out in the world. This also creates double the labor and double the excess product as well. When buying dupes you have to remember: you get what you pay for. Often times these dupes are lower quality. Think of it like buying cheap jewelry. You can spend $5 on a pair of earrings, but you’ll have to do that about 100 times because they will fade and get gross really fast.

There are some perks to dupes. I think they are great if you are trying a new type of product and not sure if you will like how it fits into your routine. I recently started using liquid blush. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like how it worked so I bought the E.L.F dupe for the Rare Beauty blush. I decided I liked it and I am going to buy the Rare Beauty one. When doing this though, it is important to use the entire dupe before purchasing the high end product so as not to waste product or packaging. 

Dupes can also be nice for make-up artists. It is cheaper to buy all the shades and restock, especially if you find ones where the quality is good. As long as you are not false advertising the higher end products, who cares what is in your kit as long as it looks good!