Beauty Dupes Are More Expensive Than the Originals Now

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a satisfying The Bling Ring Easter egg.

Included in today’s issue: Allies of Skin, Aprilskin, Beekman 1802, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, Cyklar, Drybar, Eight Saints, Sir Elton John, Fenty Beauty, Flamingo Estate, Grown Alchemist, Hume Supernatural, Les Filles en Rouge, Makeup Eraser, Oak Essentials, Oribe, Parfums de Marly, Pattern Beauty, SZA, Tom Ford Beauty, Turtle Inn, Valentino Beauty and Voldemort.

But first…

I binged The Pitt last weekend. The stellar Max show follows former E.R. ingenue Noah Wylie as a now-grizzled, but still hot, medical warrior named Dr. Robby helming the emergency room of an understaffed, overbooked hospital in Pittsburgh. It is a riveting peek into bare-bones heroism, with doctors and nurses working overtime to save shooting victims, car crash invalids and one very unfortunate beauty influencer who gets (minor spoiler incoming) mercury poisoning from her face cream.

The show has been challenged as an E.R. “dupe” by the estate of the original soap opera’s creator; Max and Warner Brothers say it’s a “completely different show.” After all, E.R. was a prime time hit while The Pitt is prestige TV, something that’s more sophisticated but just as binge-worthy. (And twice as expensive to watch.) The whole spat mirrors a phenomenon happening in the beauty market, which has seen a deluge of product copycats that feel more prestigious, and cost more cash, than their originals. Welcome to the brave new world of the “prestige dupe.”

You can see it in Lancôme’s Skin Idôle Serum Supertint, a second-skin formula for glowing complexions that boasts glowing industry reviews. The product launched two weeks ago with an Emma Chamberlain video and a Reddit thread titled “Looks Familiar?” It sure did — because the product’s packaging is near-identical to Urban Decay’s Face Bond foundation, along with extremely similar ingredients and product claims. But Lancôme’s version is packaged with a more elegant white cap instead of a My Little Pony-esque purple one, and costs eight dollars more than Urban Decay’s $40 formula, even though both were created by parent company L’Oréal. (In this case, the dupe is coming from inside the house.)

Other prestige dupes are floating through the Sephorasphere. Besides the Lancôme-Urban Decay magic mirror, there’s also Estée Lauder’s new Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick, a lusciously smooth $38 formula that comes in a click-from-the-bottom metallic applicator and reflects Tarte’s frenzy-selling Maracuja glossy lip balms. The formulas have similar overlap, but Tarte’s goes for $27 — $19 cheaper than Lauder’s new arrival. Even under-$10 products aren’t exempt. Check out the classic Rosebud Salve, a $7 round tin of pink seed-oil balm that’s echoed in Sephora’s beloved Lip Butter, an $8 round tin of (you guessed it) pink seed-oil balm.

But though the products may be considered dupes, the people behind them are not rubes. Lancôme, Lauder, LVMH — the talent at these brands is tippy-top calibre. The decisions are deliberate, and the strategy behind these echo-products isn’t to copy the formulas or even the success of the originals. It’s to siphon off a market segment with money, but not patience, to burn: Gen X, the very same generation that turned Noah Wyle and his Pitt co-star Shawn Hatosy into It Boys circa 1997.

“If your go-to is Lancôme, you might think Urban Decay is something for pop stars or people who stay out all night,” says a L’Oréal hired gun who’s name we’re absolutely not gonna use here. They note that the 45+ customer is willing to spend more on foundation if it’s the right foundation. “They know themselves. They’re not excited about being trendy.” What’s more, Gen X women do not need to feel “empowered” because economically, they are already among society’s most powerful. (If you don’t believe me, witness the persistence of skinny jeans, a Gen X staple with a lifespan that now rivals another never-ending medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy.)

Likewise, while someone’s college-age daughter may covet Tarte’s lip balms, a 50-something woman might seek a sleeker version for herself while buying Lauder’s best-selling Advanced Night Repair serum. And yes, the 23-year-old Chamberlain stars in the Lancôme ads — but she also represents Gen Z’s emerging creator millionaires, who worship at the altar ’90s minimalism and Gen X detachment on frenzied weekly podcasts and livestreams. The awe is very real, and therefore can convert into sales metrics.

If brands want to test their own prestige dupe strategy, think of the goal product as an echo of the original. Eliminate playful shimmer in favor of a smooth gleam, both in packaging and in formula. Consider — as Lancôme does with Chamberlain — the link-up points between your core Gen X audience of sophisticated, cool women and the emerging Gen Z market of 20-something who would rather go to a book club than a nightclub… but still insist they look fantastic on the grid. And, as we learned from The Pitt, please avoid both toxic ingredients and emotionally unavailable men. (Especially if they might become your new CEO.)

What else is new…

Skincare

Gwyneth Paltrow uses Avene’s thermal spring water spray so now I must use Avene thermal spring water spray. It’s $19 and peeping out behind the Goop Glow tubes on her Instagram stories.

It’s the Jon Hamm and Sofia Coppola crossover you didn’t know you needed. (I didn’t, anyway.) On April 11, the Apple TV+ show “Your Friends and Neighbors” casually name-dropped the Coppola-owned Belize hideaway the Turtle Inn as a symbol of “you will never afford this” supremacy. Spoiler alert: It’s such a bratty mention, it inspires Jon Hamm to rob the vacationing family’s house when they’re away. Which is also a plot point on The Bling Ring, which was directed by — all together now — Sofia Coppola. Ah, the circle of life!

On April 14, Beekman 1802 introduced its first-ever sunscreen, Solar Milk Clear. It’s an SPF 40 formula with goat milk and pink algae in the $40 formula. Baah, etc.

Welcome to Nordstrom, Grown Alchemist! The brand that usurped Kiehl’s in the Equinox locker room arrived at Nordstrom.com on Apr. 15 with 29 products, including face, body and hair options.

I don’t know if “Bubbleyum for your complexion” is the dream here, but Aprilskin is going for it. On April 15, the K-beauty brand dropped its TXA line, a range of five skincare products loaded with tranexamic acid, which promises a brightening, balancing effect on the skin tone. The most intriguing product is the Pink Bubblegum Deep Cleanser, which promises “a uniquely chewy, stretchy formula [that] adheres to skin, helping to absorb and lift away blackheads, pore-clogging impurities, and excess sebum.” Weird, but maybe in a good way!

On April 16, Allies of Skin launched a two-in-one moisturiser that’s got SPF 50 and self-tanner in the same $59 formula. It’s like when Harry and Voldemort’s wands connect, but with sun stuff.

Oak Essentials is tub thumping. On April 16, the swiftly rising brand by Jenni Kayne launched Dream Bath Soak, a $46 jar of magnesium and Coipa Balsam, an oil resin harvested by Indigenous communities in the Amazon meant to help skin rebound from stress or fatigue. (Also to help skin rebound from stress and fatigue: a whiskey drink, a vodka drink, a lager drink, a cider drink … etc.)

Cyklar’s Glycolic Acid Body Spray looks like one of those aerosol SPF cans but sprays a peptide-infused formula that helps brighten areas of hyperpigmentation. It’s $34 and debuted on April 16.

Do you want to look like a Care Bear? I do, so I’m pretty stoked about MakeUp Eraser’s Cooling Clouds Face Patches, a line of magenta puffy clouds that turn cold when they’re wet and help reduce redness or puffiness from hot weather, workouts and injectables. They launched on April 17 for $12.

Makeup

Mascara is in its espresso era. Just after Lisa Eldridge, Ilia and Tarte dropped new brown lash goo, Fenty Beauty has released its own mocha shade for its Hella Thicc mascara line. This one’s $20, and comes with a new companion product, Hella Extra primer, a $24 tube of clear extension gel. Both hit shelves on April 11.

Kate Moss’s eyeliner? We got you. On April 15, Charlotte Tilbury relaunched the supermodel’s favorite shade — Bedroom Black — of Rock ‘n’ Kohl Eyeliner, along with two more matte hues and three metallic ones. $32 each.

On April 16, Chillhouse dropped a new gel-adjacent polish and topcoat called Forever Wear meant to extend the life of a typical manicure. The bottles are $12 each and have the same puffy letters as Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild and, of course, Coachtopia.

Advice: Nail down your brand’s long-tail keywords around “waterline” now. The term — which refers to the tiny sliver of space where your lashes meet your eyelids — is getting heightened traction on search engines and TikTok streams; Sephora has wisely siloed its precision eyeliners into a breakout “waterline” page. On April 17, Credo went there, too, with the introduction of Soshe’s Waterline Eye Brightener, a $24 flesh-toned pencil meant to help define and pop the eyes.

Is there room for another celebrity beauty line? SZA is down to find out. The cool-girl musician (and breakout star of Netflix’s delightful buddy comedy, One of Them Days) is now the proud creator of three lip glosses launched under the label “Not Beauty.” The lip products come in three shades, cost $23 each, and debuted exclusively at SZA’s Minneapolis show on April 19, with future purchase opportunities along her tour route. The good news: The glosses look amazing. The tricky news: As of this writing, the brand website doesn’t appear anywhere on Google search’s first three pages when you type in “SZA lip gloss.” SEO experts, help her out!

Another day, another question about Alessandro Michele’s role (if any) in Valentino Beauty’s current designs. On April 15, the brand unveiled Puffer Complex, a shimmering lip plumper gloss with hot pink packaging and names like “Dazzling Mermaid” and “In My Glowing Era.” The product is wildly cute and flawlessly glossy — two phrases you’d never associate with Michele’s master world-building experiment inside the Valentino machine. Let’s keep watching this space.

Lipstick but make it home decor? On April 19, Les Filles En Rouje, the beauty collection sprung from Jeanne Damas’ fashion line Rouje, introduced La Palette Charme, a hefty gold compact meant to linger on the nightstand like a perfume bottle. It’s loaded with raspberry, pink, brown and shimmery taupe lip shades, and aims to cement the label’s makeup as a prestige score that you want to show off.

Haircare

Tracee Ellis Ross nabbed a good copy team. The founder of Pattern Beauty unleashed her Revitalizing Scalp Scrub on April 9 with the tagline “scrub, rinse, rejoice.” (Adorbs.) The $29 formula has cucumber and pink sea salt, and promises to clear the scalp of buildup without stripping moisture.

On April 14, Drybar launched its Blowout Defense collection, including a shampoo, conditioner and “blowout accelerator spray” that claim to protect hair from heat damage while making heat styling last longer. Prices start at $29.

Attention, Solidcore clients: Starting April 18, you can touch up your ponytail with Oribe Gold Lust dry shampoo. It’ll be in all the locker rooms.

Fragrance

Hello Upper East Siders — or should I say bonjour? On April 8, Parfums de Marly opened its new boutique at 796 Madison Avenue. The store was designed by Hubert de Malherbe, who’s also responsible for Dior and Givenchy beauty retail spaces, and counts Carolina Herrera and Dolce & Gabbana as neighbours, which seems exactly right.

Did you know Sir Elton John has a sold-out candle collection with QVC? Me neither, but it returned on April 14, with scents like Ivy’s Rose Garden, Lavender Petals and Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble. (Personally, I would buy “Rocket Man” incense in a heartbeat…)

Flamingo Estate’s Prinsesstarta candle dropped on April 15 with notes of powdered almond. It’s inspired by the Principessa cake at upscale Italian restaurant chain St. Ambroeus; adorable.

Chanel’s newest scent, Chance Eau Splendide, hit US shelves on April 15. It’s a raspberry and geranium-based scent with a bright lilac bottle and an upcoming Los Angeles moment: On April 30, the brand will host an experiential pop-up space at The Grove. I’m told it includes a branded photo booth — whether it can rival Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber’s 818 x Rhode photo booth at Coachella is TBD… and likely depends on some star power. Anaya, see you there?

On April 17, the Bob Marley Estate released six scents inspired by Jamaican flowers and fruit nectars, including Soul Rebel (a grapefruit base) and Place of Peace (bergamot and star apple). Each bottle retails for $140 and features Marley’s handwriting engraved on the front.

Today, I saw Tom Ford fragrances for 40% off at Target, which is amazing because… uh… Target is not a licensed vendor for Tom Ford Beauty.

And finally…

On the same day that Katy Perry launched into space, L’Oréal sent out a “get the look” announcement about her makeup, done by Alexandra French. Among the products used: Infallible Setting Spray, Full Wear Concealer and Glass Highlighter Stick. L’Oréal also listed Fresh Wear Foundation powder, which is interesting, since when influencer Kellie Gerardi went up on the Virgin Galactic space flight in 2023, she told Glamour that powder is banned from spacecraft: “Powders are a big liability. Powder particles can float into someone’s lungs or into the delicate machinery.” Either the powder was used after she landed, or that setting spray needs a bigger ad campaign, because it was basically used as intergalactic glue.

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