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SEEING DOUBLE

We put these cut-price Aldi copycats to the test – so can you tell them apart from their high-end rivals?

Many of the items worked just as well as the branded ones but at a fraction of the cost

THEY say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and with Aldi that certainly seems to be the case.

Shoppers who have an eye for a bargain know they can pick up shampoo, handwash and face wash that look just like those made by dozens of trusted brands.

 Seeing double...these Aldi products may look like trusted brands but are they any good?
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Seeing double...these Aldi products may look like trusted brands but are they any good?

These include well-known products like Radox, Carex, Bayliss and Harding, Simple, Herbal Essence, Aussie and Johnson’s.

And with some of the dupes being nearly four times cheaper than the branded versions, it's easy to see why Aldi has become so popular.

As you can see from these pictures, in cheeky marketing slight-of-hand, Aldi’s own-brand products look incredibly like brands we all know and love.

But does the product live up to its promise, or is it all just style over substance? We put six products from Aldi head-to-head with their lookalikes.

Radox Muscle Soak 500ml (£1) v Lacura Herbal Bath Soak 750ml (65p)

 You can hardly smell them apart
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You can hardly smell them apartCredit: Charlotte Burns

I've seen plenty of bottles of Radox in bathrooms over the years, and it's known for its famous scent.

For those savvy shoppers who would prefer to save a few pennies, the Aldi version looks pretty similar and smells exactly the same, although Radox smelled slightly stronger.

Both bubble baths had the same consistency, and when poured into hot water, foamed a similar amount.

Carex 120ml Strawberry Laces hand soap (£1 on offer, usually £1.89) v Lacura 750ml Splashy Strawberry handwash (75p)

 If you're not fussy about the smell then Aldi's handwash is bigger and does the job just as well
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If you're not fussy about the smell then Aldi's handwash is bigger and does the job just as wellCredit: Charlotte Burns

Carex released its range of fun editions last year, and now is a must in many homes with mucky children.

The most popular "flavours" include bubble gum, fizzy cola bottles and strawberry laces.

Aldi has made the sweet decision to imitate these popular handwashes, but its versions are much bigger and cheaper.


TAKE STOCK We reveal how many specialbuys Aldi really stocks


The Sun Online tried its Splashy Strawberry hand wash, which smelled good enough to eat, but didn't smell quite like strawberry laces, which Carex gets spot on.

That said, both of the handwashes got dirt off effectively, with a similar amount of foam.

Simple Facewash 150ml (£3.80) v Lacura Face Wash Gel 150ml (99p)

 Both of these face washes did the same job
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Both of these face washes did the same jobCredit: Charlotte Burns

Simple face wash promises to be gentle on your skin, cleanse and nourish - but this beauty comes at a hefty price. Both of the face washes are soap free.

The Simple gel has no smell at all to it, while the Aldi version was has a slight scent - though hardly noticeable.

When tested on the face, with the addition of warm water, they foamed up slightly when rubbing into the skin.

Herbal Essence "Hello Hydration" 400ml (£3) v Lacura "Exotic Quench" 400ml (79p)

 The shampoos were pretty much the same
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The shampoos were pretty much the sameCredit: Charlotte Burns

The Lacura bottle is the same colour and similar shape, but the labelling is more basic and less designed.

In fact, they have the exact same coconut smell, but the Aldi one is slightly stronger and sweeter.

The consistency and colour of the liquids are very similar, and again both produced the same results after washing, leaving the hair looking silky and soft.

Johnson's baby shampoo 500ml (£2.29) v Mamia Baby Shampoo 500ml (79p)

 We prefer the Aldi version against this Johnson's
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We prefer the Aldi version against this Johnson'sCredit: Charlotte Burns

Johnson's prides itself on its No More Tears formula and mum's have put their trust in it over the last 125 years.

So does Aldi's version produce something as good, for a fraction of the price?

Again, both bottles looked very similar, but once poured out, Johnson's was more vivid and had a different smell to the Aldi version.

But I recon that the Mamia product lathered up better in the hair giving more coverage than the Johnson's.

Aussie Miracle Shine 300ml (£4.29) v Carino Moisture Shampoo 300ml (£1.99)

 These bottles were also pretty similar in substance
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These bottles were also pretty similar in substanceCredit: Charlotte Burns

Aussie is a luxury hair range where one bottle of shampoo will set you back over £4. It is known for its gorgeous smell and ability to fix frizzy and damaged hair.

The Aldi version has a slightly different colour bottle, and shampoo - but the results are exactly the same.

Aldi manages to achieve such cost-cutting by stocking virtually all own-branded goods.
This means it doesn't have to split profits with brand manufacturers.

Because of Aldi's success, the store has grown in popularity dramatically in the past few years.

It's just been announced that there will be 70 more stores opening in the UK, so savvy shopper can bag themselves some beautiful bargains.



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