Beauty 4.0 Podcast: Exploring the landscape of beauty dupes with Rohan Widdeson

In the latest episode of Beauty 4.0: Decoding the Business of Beauty, we explore a phenomenon that is turning heads across the beauty industry—beauty dupes. These affordable, high-performing alternatives to luxury beauty products are increasingly popular with consumers, but what does this mean for innovation, branding, and the future of the industry?

Co-host Cassandra Stern, Editor of CosmeticsDesign US, is joined by Rohan Widdeson, CEO of New Laboratories, to unpack the rise of dupes and the opportunities and challenges they bring.

As beauty dupes become a mainstay for budget-conscious consumers, they raise questions for brands and manufacturers alike. Dupes can offer quality products at lower prices, but do they cross ethical lines when copying existing formulations? In this insightful discussion, Rohan explains how brands can navigate these ethical dilemmas while maintaining formulation integrity.

The conversation also delves into the ways dupe culture can drive product innovation by pushing companies to reimagine existing formulas in creative, cost-effective ways.

This episode also highlights practical challenges in producing dupes, such as ensuring regulatory compliance and maintaining product safety standards. As regulations tighten, manufacturers face increasing pressure to ensure that dupes meet the same rigorous testing as original products.

Rohan shares his expert perspective on how brands like e.l.f. cosmetics have thrived in this competitive environment, emphasizing the role of talented formulators and forward-thinking strategies.