Walgreens Wants In on Beauty Dupes With In-house Skin Care Line
A new player has entered the beauty dupes arena.
Walgreens has launched an in-house skin care line comprised of nine products, each priced below $23 and inspired by an existing prestige offering. Called Walgreens Premium Skin Care, the collection ranges from $8.99 for its Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% cream — which bills itself as comparable to The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid 10% Suspension Brightening Cream — to $22.99 for its Body Butter Firming Cream, a dupe for Sol de Janeiro’s hero $48 Bum Bum Cream.
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Other products in the range include a Hydrating Lip Mask, a Moisturizing Facial Cream and a Super Invisible SPF 40, each inspired by existing best-sellers of Laneige, Kiehl’s and Supergoop, respectively.
“Compared to the current price of similar premium skin care products listed on brand websites, the online prices of our new Walgreens Premium Skin Care products are at least 50 percent less expensive, making high-quality skin care more accessible,” said Heather Hughes, group vice president and general merchandise manager for health and beauty at Walgreens, in a statement, adding the line could be a “game changer for those who crave luxury but are mindful of their budget.”
While the growth of the prestige market has outpaced that of the mass market in recent years — Circana reports that during the first half of 2024, prestige beauty grew 8 percent while the mass market stayed relatively flat — demand for dupes has soared during the same period.
The rise of TikTok has played a significant role in fueling the discourse, which has become mainstream. According to Spate, dupes receive an average 49.6 million weekly views on TikTok, up 19.2 percent versus last year. Among the brands that have most prominently benefited from the chatter are E.l.f. Beauty, NYX Cosmetics and Australia-based MCoBeauty, which raked in a reported $63 million in sales in 2023 and launched Stateside in May, bringing its viral makeup and skin care dupes to more than 1,800 Kroger’s Family of Stores doors.
Walgreens is planning to add products to its Premium Skin Care assortment each year, said Hughes, adding that the retailer is “always looking at upcoming trends, and we have a very exciting product pipeline we can’t wait to launch.”
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