Cosmetics Dupes: Is the Beauty World Out of Ideas?

There you go again, making an unplanned trip down the beauty aisle.

You were supposed to stop by Target for only a few things, but we both know you weren't leaving with just toilet paper and an Olipop.

You're looking through messy shelves packed with blushes and bronzers when something familiar catches your eye.

You've seen it all over your FYP. Your favorite beauty influencer swatched the whole collection. You were even thinking about buying a few shades the other day.

Weird...when did Target start carrying this brand?

Then you take a closer look. That is not the fwee Blurry Pudding Pot taking over your timeline. That's...Wet N Wild's Mother Fluffer Cloud Blush?

What gives? It looks just like the Blurry Pudding Pot! It's got that same creamy-smooth texture and soft matte finish, but sold at a fraction of the price.

Can Wet N Wild do that? How is this even legal? And is this cheaper option even worth purchasing?

Welcome to the messy world of cosmetics dupes, where we'll be breaking down the trend from the beauty bloggers of the past to the TikTok influencers of today.

WHAT ARE COSMETICS DUPES?

Cosmetics dupes are skincare, makeup, and tools designed to help consumers save money while delivering a similar performance compared to their luxury counterparts. They usually come from well-known brands, like NYX or The Ordinary, and should follow ingredient and safety standards. So, in most cases, dupes are not knock-offs (at least when it comes to safety).

Dupes are nothing new. They've been around since the early-mid 2000s, when online communities started swapping dupe suggestions for everything from eyeshadow palettes to setting powders. Before the days of TikTok, people would find dupes on beauty blogs or discover good dupes being discussed on forum sites like Reddit:

"One really popular dupe that has been mentioned quite often is that the $1 elf primer is a great dupe for the UDPP [Urban Decay Primer Potion] for quality and price," said Reddit user aztecaprincess927, on r/MakeupAddiction nearly 14 years ago. More posts list popular makeup dupes from that time, like NYX's Pinched powdered blush compared to the iconic NARS Orgasm, and Wet N Wild's gel eyeliners compared to MAC's Fluidline.

And these drugstore brands are still major players today.

e.l.f. is arguably the queen of cosmetics dupes, with some of the internet's most popular dupes being featured in its lineup. Why buy Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter for $49 when I can get the Halo Glow Liquid Filter for $14? That's a 71.4% price difference!

Professional makeup artist Nikki La Rose compares the two in an Instagram reel, opening with how the Hollywood Flawless Filter is a product she "cannot live without" in her professional kit.

"But for a much more affordable version, you just can't beat this e.l.f Halo Glow," she states, tilting her face so you can see how similar the two products wear on her skin.

And if that luminous finish is good enough for a makeup artist, why wouldn't it be good enough for the average Target or Ulta shopper?

THE PROS: AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES

For years, high-end beauty brands ruled the market. Then dupe culture offered something shoppers wanted: affordable dupes that people would absolutely love, without sacrificing performance.

That appeal only grew during the pandemic. Millions of people lost their jobs, had their hours cut, or simply had less money to spend. TikTok, in particular, helped launch these cheaper products into viral must-haves.

Influencers gamified the dupe hunt, turning drugstore beauty into a savvy alternative to expensive brands like Dior and Tom Ford. Instead of feeling bad for missing out, you were told you were being smart with your money. After all, who wouldn't want a $100 look for half the price?

That attitude shift is what pushed cosmetics dupes from being accessible to being desirable.

As beauty brands saw how many views and sales these products could bring in, dupes started becoming far less subtle.

WHEN DUPES BECOME THE BLUEPRINT

Okay, back to the Mother Fluffer Cloud Blush. Couldn't fwee sue Wet n Wild for copying their Blurry Pudding Pot?

Well, they could, but actually winning the case is another story.

In 2023, Benefit sued e.l.f. over its Lash 'N Roll mascara. Benefit argued that the name, packaging, and marketing copied parts of its Roller Lash trademarks and trade dress. e.l.f. admitted that Roller Lash inspired the product, but that alone wasn't enough for Benefit to win.

In 2024, the court ruled in e.l.f.’s favor, finding that Benefit had failed to prove that shoppers were likely to confuse the two mascaras.

So copying another product isn't automatically illegal. There is a line brands need to cross, one where shoppers could confuse the new product with its original inspiration. And as cosmetics dupes become more obvious, some brands have built their whole identity around that line.

Enter MCoBeauty, the Australian brand whose low-cost alternatives have exploded in popularity. Their products include alternatives to viral brands like Glow Recipe and Sol de Janeiro, while their packaging has landed the brand in legal disputes.

Glow Recipe sued MCoBeauty and Target over the packaging of Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops, while Sol de Janeiro sued over alleged similarities involving its fragrance mists and packaging. MCoBeauty continues to dispute those claims.

Whether you see this move as clever, tacky, or simply good business is up to you. But there’s an undeniable ick about a beauty world where one successful product can quickly inspire five cheaper, near-identical versions.

At what point does an affordable alternative stop feeling like a clever dupe? And do we really want to see the same thing on our timeline and in our beauty aisles over and over again?

THE CONS: BORING BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Imagine walking into a bargain bin shop and spotting a beat-up DVD case with a questionable cartoon mouse chef on the cover. The title? Ratatoing.

You’d probably think, “Do they really think I’m dumb enough to confuse this with the beloved Disney classic Ratatouille?”

Hot take incoming: that’s what it's like sometimes when a new makeup dupe hits the shelves.

From a business standpoint, the strategy makes sense: make your product look so much like the high-end original that shoppers immediately understand what you’re copying. But imagine a beauty aisle where everything looks the same, and every brand tries to pull a MCoBeauty.

Does that excite you? How quickly will you get tired of seeing the same formulas, shades, and product categories on repeat?

“If I see one more liquid blush, bronzing drop, lip oil, or serum skin tint thing, I’m going to scream lol,” writes Perfect-Cat6793 on r/MakeupAddiction. “Every brand just seems like they’re releasing the same 4 makeup products over and over.”

Other users in the thread agreed, pointing to drag queen-founded brands like Trixie Cosmetics as a creative oasis in a desert of never-ending dupes.

And maybe that’s the real problem with dupe culture: it’s not that consumers hate affordable alternatives. It’s that we’re starting to wonder where all the new ideas went.

Because there’s a big difference between making a more accessible version of a product people love and making the 20th version of something we’ve already seen 19 times. And honestly, don't we deserve a little more creativity than that?

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE PRICE DIFFERENCE

Cosmetics dupes are nothing new, and honestly, they're needed now more than ever. It’s expensive to be alive these days, and we shall fault no girly who wants to treat herself to a budget-friendly liquid lipstick.

But the problem isn't the price, the convenience, or even whether it's legal. (At least for us consumers, Charlotte Tilbury might feel differently). The problem is a lack of original ideas.

Because somewhere along the way, dupes stopped being just about making beauty more affordable. The focus shifted to making beauty go viral, to create and release your version of Benefit's Gimme Brow before the rest of the competition.

Do we really want every brand’s take on a peptide lip treatment or a glassy-skin serum? Is there a need for ten formulas that tackle the same issue, packaged in the same trendy container? We’re not asking for brands to reinvent the full-coverage concealer, just for them to put some life back into their identity!

Because, at the end of the day, we don't need fewer affordable alternatives. What we need is fresh, amazing, and innovative ideas. The kind that will go viral all on their own.

Or is that too much for a girl to ask?

🪽 Written by Andrea Hatvani