IF YOU KNOW anything about skincare, you’ll know glycolic acid is a must in your routine.

It’s a chemical exfoliant that has a hape of benefits when it comes to minding your mug - its botanical properties help to treat skin conditions such as Psoriasis, Melasma and Seborrheic keratosis. Plus, it’s gentle enough to use on even sensitive skin. Result!

One such product containing the mythical acid – the Pixi Glow Tonic (€23.50 in Arnotts) - has garnered cult status among celebs and mere mortals alike.

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Listen, €23 isn’t exactly blowing the budget, but it’s not giving you change from a tenner either, is it?

Enter Aldi, and their wildly popular beauty brand Lacura. They’ve been known to drop some smashing dupes when it suits them - their hot cloth polish is a fave of our own Louise McSharry. Meanwhile, their charcoal beauty range paid homage to the OG Instagram face mask brand, GlamGlow (try saying that five times fast!)

Now, they’ve decided to muscle in on Pixi’s turf with their very own Glycolic Glow Exfoliating Tonic for – wait for it – €4.99.

And how do the two compare then?

Price

Pixi: €23.50 for 250ml. However, you can also purchase an 100ml bottle for €12.88 from iHerb, or a 15ml bottle directly from Pixi for €22.74 (including shipping).

Lacura: €4.99  for 250ml.

Ingredients

Pixi: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Glycolic Acid, Ammonium Glycolate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol (and) Fructose (and) Glucose (and) Sucrose (and) Urea (and) Dextrin (and) Alanine (and) Glutamic Acid (and) Aspartic Acid (and) Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Biotin and Polysorbate 20.

Lacura: Aqua, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Betaine, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Benzophenone-4, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aloe Vera Leaf Powder, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Caramel and CI 14700.

Some social media users have pointed out that the aloe content of the Lacura Tonic is significantly less than that of the Pixi Glow Tonic.

Exactly. Here’s the problem. A dupe is only a ‘dupe’ if the products are relatable in efficacy in any way, which these are not. At ALL. https://t.co/P1XOGd8jLR

— Caroline Hirons (@CarolineHirons)

September 28, 2018

Cruelty-free?

Pixi: Yes.

Lacura: Yes – in fact, Aldi’s entire Lacura range is Leaping Bunny certified. 

Any other things worth mentioning?

Lacura

• The Lacura tonic comes with pads for applying the toner. If you fancy picking up the Pixi one, you’re going to have to splurge and buy them yourself, unfort.
• Aldi’s Special Buys tend to be very popular and on limited release – so if you want one, act fast.

Pixi

• The Pixi Glow tonic has a very specific scent which I personally find to be stronger than that of the Lacura one.

Overall verdict?

After cleansing, I used some of each toner on a cotton pad, and did one half of my face with each. I felt the Pixi tonic more on my skin, in terms of tingling. 

After 10 minutes, both products had dried down. On both sides of my face, my skin looked smoother and less shiney.

It’s a bit of a stretch to call this a dupe when the Lacura tonic is compromising on some ingredients, which would explain the price-point. However, it’s definitely a good middle ground for someone who isn’t concerned with an extremely extensive skincare and doesn’t fancy spending loads of money. 

You can watch a full demo and side-by-side comparison of the products here.

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