Is 'Dizzy Panda' a skincare dupe too far?

It's giving Cuthbert the Caterpillar

I love a Home Bargains trip as much as the next person. In fact, I went this weekend to go and pick up Mrs Hinch’s ‘Vacay Vibes’ cleaning collection.

It’s not all for me. I bypass any of those storage jars with that font - I’m sure you know the one I mean. But, true to name, a bargain can be found. Like the time I spotted the entire Selfless by Hyram collection, on sale for £1.99.

However, the latest skincare collection to fill the HB shelves, hasn’t got me quite as excited. In fact, it made me positively cringe.

Hailed as a Drunk Elephant ‘dupe’, Dizzy Panda is as offensive to me as a Cuthbert the Caterpillar Cake.

The range consists of four products: Crystal Glow Cleanser, 99p, Brightening Toner, £1.29, Moisturising Softening Lotion and Peptide Face Cream, both £2.49.

The neon pink and white packaging is suggestive of Drunk Elephant’s colourful designs. As is the airless pump jar on the Peptide Face Cream and swivel lid on the Moisturising Softening Toner.

Of course there’s the name, playing off another potentially unbalanced animal, but aside from that, I’m assuming this is where the similarities end.

Annoyingly, I didn’t spot them in store to turn them round and read the ingredients list, but for under £3, I can’t imagine there is anything particularly good for your skin in here beyond glycerin and I’d love to know how far down the likes of the lactic acid are on the ingredients list.

This is where my frustration with skincare ‘dupes’ lies. The most vital part, the ingredients list, is ignored and the focus is solely on similarities in packaging.

Additionally, while Drunk Elephant is being hauled over the coals for attracting children, as my sister put it, at that price point, that is exactly what Home Bargains is doing.

As someone who is in the privileged position of receiving beauty products for free, it’s important that I acknowledge there is some snobbery at play here.

I’m the same with all the Aldi knock offs, I hate them. I just think I’d rather save up (if I could) or get a different product from the high street.

These straight up dupes are 9/10 far inferior to the originals. Yes, beauty brands mark up their products, there’s no denying that, but, you can get affordable, GOOD, skincare on the high street now.

Boots and Superdrug, both have really great own brand ranges, which are focused on the actual ingredients, rather than duping someone else.

While, I’m sure there’s nothing harmful in the Dizzy Panda range. I also highly doubt there is anything effective about the percentage of any of the active ingredients in there and if there is, I would have respected them so much if they didn’t go down the duping route.

The thing is, as beauty journalists, we spend so long educating people on skincare and it pisses me off when brands use ingredients like buzz words to mislead.

Am I a beauty snob or does Dizzy Panda give you the ick as well?