Are those cheeky own brand lookalikes ever as good as the real thing?
HAVE you ever popped a familiar packet or jar into your trolley — only to realise later that it’s a cheaper ‘copycat’? This month, a study found retailers take advantage of how we shop on autopilot, with a fifth of us absent-mindedly buying budget versions of branded products.
Food companies, which spend huge sums on branding, are less than happy with this. Last month, Toblerone announced it was suing Poundland over its planned new ‘Twin Peaks’ chocolate bar.
But with little legislation protecting the big brands’ labels, it’s difficult to stop the ‘ copycats’ — and improvements in chemistry make it easier to recreate famous brands using similar ingredients.
So, are the budget alternatives any good? AMANDA CABLE asked the experts — and their verdicts could change your shopping habits forever.
Fairy Platinum Washing Up Liquid, £2 for 625ml versus Aldi Magnum Premium, 75p for 500ml
YOU SAVE: £1.25 per bottle, or 53 per cent per 100ml.
OUR TEST: The Aldi liquid smells the same and has the same consistency, although the Fairy is a richer colour. The Fairy bubbles last eight hours, a good measure of how high quality the ingredients are. But Magnum’s bubbles last even longer: eight hours and 15 minutes. EXPERT VERDICT: Nikki Stopford from Which? says: ‘ Labels on washing- up liquids don’t have to state quantities in which they are used, unlike food items. The ingredients are the same in many of these products, and it is the packaging and the scent that change.’
WINNER: Draw.
Pringles Original, £2.25 for 200g versus Tesco Chipz Original, 85p for 165g
YOU SAVE: £1.40 per tube, or 54 per cent per 100g.
OUR TEST: I generally avoid cheap crisps, as they are usually over- salted and lack crunch. But I found these lookalikes just as moreish as Pringles.
EXPERT VERDICT: Nutritionist Angela Dowden says: ‘There’s little difference. The Pringles have fewer calories — 516 per 100g compared with Tesco’s 554. But Tesco has less saturated fat (3g per 100g compared with 1.4g) and the Tesco salt level is lower at 1g compared with 1.4g. For me, Tesco wins.’
WINNER: ‘Copycat’.
Vanish Stain Remover, £4.50 for 500g versus Sainsbury’s Stain Remover Powder, £2.50 for 500g
YOU SAVE: £2 per tub, or 44 per cent per 100g. OUR TEST: The Sainsbury’s powder looks and feels the same — though it has some added blue flakes and a stronger detergent smell. The Vanish lists more than 30 per cent ‘oxygen-based bleaching agents’, while the Sainsbury’s version says it has less than 30 per cent. They
Lurpak, £3.25 for 500g versus Norpak (Aldi), £1.75 for 500g YOU SAVE: £1.50 per tub, or 46 per cent per 100g.
OUR TEST: Lurpak is made in Denmark, while Norpak is from Ireland, where costs are cheaper. Aldi’s option has the same subtle taste, spreads thickly and melts on potatoes without the butter splitting — a common fault with cheaper brands.
EXPERT VERDICT: Angela Dowden says: ‘The ingredients are identical — both contain 64 per cent butter and 26 per cent rapeseed oil, lactic cultures, water and salt.’ Aldi says: ‘Our customers want a simple experience when they visit our stores and we package our exclusive brands in such a way that they are easily recognisable to savvy British shoppers.’
WINNER: ‘Copycat’. both have less than 5 per cent of ‘ nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants and optical brightener’. Sainsbury’s lists perfume, while the Vanish option contains enzymes and something called zeolite (natural minerals that soften water). EXPERT VERDICT: Nikki Stopford from Which? says: ‘On both jars, we are given non-specific terms, such as anionic and non-ionic surfactants, basically custommade “cleaning agents”, whose recipes are a closely-guarded secret. That means we can’t be certain of differences here.’ Still, the higher levels of bleaching agents and the minerals give Vanish the edge. WINNER: Brand.
Oreo cookies, £1.08 for 143g versus Sondey Neo (Lidl), 79p for 180g
YOU SAVE: 29p per pack, or 42 per cent per 100g. OUR TEST: My family simply can’t see the difference — so Neo wins, because it is cheaper.
EXPERT VERDICT: Angela Dowden says: ‘Both biscuits boast a 29 per cent vanilla crème filling. The Neo has slightly more cocoa powder, but it has 13g of saturated fat per 100g, compared with 9.8g for the Oreo. The Neo has 37g of sugar, while the Oreo has 38g. The only difference is that the Neo biscuits are very slightly smaller.’
WINNER: ‘Copycat’.
Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, £2.49 for 600g versus Batts Real Mayonnaise (Lidl), 65p for 500ml
YOU SAVE: £1.84 a jar, or 42 per cent per 100ml/g. OUR TEST: My family blind tests them and all five of us vote for . . . Lidl. There’s an eggy, fresher flavour, while Hellmann’s is vinegary and tart. EXPERT VERDICT: Nutritionist Angela Dowden says: ‘Both have 6.2 per cent saturated fat, but there’s less salt in the “copycat” — 1.16g per 100g compared with 1.5g in the Hellmann’s. Cheaper sauces used to be loaded with salt, but supermarkets have made own brands much healthier.’ WINNER: ‘Copycat’.
Galaxy Minstrels, £1.50 for 118g versus Poundland Miracles, £1 for 200g
YOU SAVE: 50p a pack, or 61 per cent per 100g.
OUR TEST: The packaging is uncannily similar and they taste the same — a sugar shell with a smooth inner kernel of chocolate.
EXPERT VERDICT: Angela Dowden says: ‘Miracles originate from Spain, where chocolate is superior as they use more cocoa solids to cater for the Continental preference for richer chocolate. They’re just as good as the Minstrels.’
WINNER: ‘Copycat’.
Aussie Mega Volume Shampoo, £4.19 for 300ml versus Cien Mega Volume Shampoo (Lidl), 99p for 300ml
YOU SAVE: £3.20 per bottle, or 76 per cent per 100ml.
OUR TEST: Both are thick and leave my hair clean and soft.
EXPERT VERDICT: Gill Smith, a cosmetic chemist, says: ‘Lidl has invested in a top team of fragrance buyers and good perfumes, which used to be skimped on by budget brands.’
Lidl says: ‘Our packaging reflects market norms . . . [and] all our products are clearly labelled, so customers can make informed decisions about what they buy.’
WINNER: Identical — so the ‘copycat’.