Highly popular brands are trending among teenagers, but with the price tag comes the need for dupes.
Brands including Artizia, lululemon, Tiffany and Co., Charlotte Tilbury, and Dior are popular among teenagers, but these brands are not budget friendly. For example, the trending “Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil” costs $40 for only 6 mL of product. With the pressure of wanting to conform with society and fit in with their stylish peers, many teenagers turn to dupes.
Dupes is slang for duplicates; often meaning duplicates of an expensive trending item. In private schools espcially, it’s expected that teenagers will have the newest lavish trends. However, it’s unrealistic to spend hundreds of dollars on each trending product.
Freshman Hadley Smith has two pairs of very similar athletic shorts; the on-brand and the dupe.
“I have a pair of Amazon ‘Hotty Hots’ and I also have a pair of real ‘Hotty Hots’,” she said. “I like the Lulu ones better because they are more comfortable, but the Amazon ones are really nice too.”
“Hotty Hots” are the most popular pair of athletic shorts from Lululemon. They cost $68, come in a four inch and a two-and-a-half-inch length, have a high-rise and low-rise version, and come in up to eight colors, but the Amazon dupes also come in eight colors with the same length options, and only cost $14.99.
Common places to find dupes include Amazon, Target, and TikTok shop. For more specific dupes, people shop on the Ervy Jewels website for jewelry, and the Shein website for clothes.
Bella Marinello, a junior from Holyoke, Mass., feels that you can always find a dupe.
“I mean you are always going to find something that is similar to an on-brand item, so it’s not always worth it [to buy the brand name],” she said.
According to students who spoke to The Willistonian, the dupe for the Charlotte Tisbury “Flawless Filter” foundation ($49) from e.l.f. Beauty, called the “Halo Glow,” ($14) is pretty much the same, if not better.
Bella said her TikTok feed is filled with dupe reviews.
“I feel like there are a lot of dupes on TikTok shop and a lot of people review TikTok shop items, so I see those a lot,” she said.
TikTok shop, launched in Sept. 2023, has become a popular dupe outlet. Many TikTok creators gain profit from reviewing products, making the products quick to trend.
Popular TikTok shop dupes include the seamless bodysuit ($14.97) for the SKIMS Cami bodysuit ($60), the striped pj pants ($4.78) for the Edikted “Olivia Striped Loose Fit pants” ($31), and the oversized hoodie ($45.99) for the “ESSENTIALS HOODIE” from FEAR OF GOD ($110).
Bella believes judgement on dupes can depend on the scenario and item, and that sometimes, people don’t even know something is a dupe.
“If people are trying to buy a dupe just to fit in and look like they have the real thing, usually that’s when people are judged,” Bella said. “In general, people don’t really care. Honestly, people sometimes don’t realize things are dupes. Like Van Cleef bracelets, a lot of people don’t know where the brand started and only buy the dupes.”
Fine jewelry has turned into everyday wear, seen with the popular Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, a company that was started by Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels in Paris in 1906.
Van Cleef bracelet dupes have been trending more than real Van Cleefs due to the sheer price of the jewelry. The most popular design is the “Vintage Alhambra bracelet, 5 motifs” in 18k yellow gold with mother-of pearl detailing. On Van Cleef’s website it costs $4,600; this is one of their cheaper items.
Dupes for this bracelet can be found on Amazon for around $13.99 and on Evry Jewels, referred to as the “Feeling Lucky Bracelet,” for $20.
Maddy McCarthy, a senior from Turners Falls, Mass., believes dupes are on the upwards trend.
“I feel like there’s been a change in perspective overall, like with dupes; I feel like people like dupes now,” she said.
Junior Blue Meyerson, from Seoul, Korea, agrees with Maddy.
“I think dupes are sort of getting more popular,” she said. “I feel like when people are like ‘Oh, I got this and it’s a dupe,’ everyone is interested and wants to know where they got it.”
According to an article published by EMARKETER, Gen-Z has brought the consumption of dupes to a new high.
“Social media is bringing dupe culture to new heights, as Gen Z-ers whose incomes have not yet caught up to their passion for luxury and premium products look for affordable ways to stay on trend,” the article explained.
Hadley feels that sometimes people buy expensive products because they’re trending, with no regard for whether they’re better than the cheaper alternatives.
“Honestly, no expensive skincare and makeup is worth the money,” she said. “Just get a routine that works for you, don’t get something expensive because it’s on trend.”
The most popular expensive skincare products include the TATCHA “Dewy Skin Cream” ($72), the DRUNK ELEPHANT “Protini Polypeptide Cream” ($69), and the Charlotte Tilbury “Magic Cream” ($100).
To Hadley’s point, there are other high quality skincare products that work for people that are not at this price point. CerVa “Daily Moisturizing Lotion” ($13.68), The Ordinary “Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum” ($9.90), and The Ordinary “Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA” ($14) all produce similar results for less than half the price of their more expensive counterparts.
Finlay Kavanagh, a sophomore from Concord, Mass., feels that on-brand athletic clothes are not worth her money.
“I buy dupes for athletic clothes, because like I don’t wear them that often, so why spend so much money on them,” she said.
A popular on-brand athletic company is Lululemon, where a pair of basic black leggings cost $98. Dupes for these leggings can be purchased on Amazon from the company CRZ YOGA for $26, or from Target for $25.