After a slow rise to fame, e.l.f. Beauty has a market cap or net worth of $6.04 billion as of Jan. 30, 2025. e.l.f. Cosmetics is an American cosmetics brand that’s based in Oakland, California, founded by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba in 2004. The brand claims that every formula is 100% vegan, no animal testing and cruelty-free, worldwide. The products are free from phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban and hydroquinone. This makes them safe for all skin types, hightening their popularity. It isn’t the formula that has brought e.l.f. up in the beauty game, though — it’s their impressive knack for duping expensive products for fractions of the original price tag.
So what is a dupe? “Dupe” is slang for duplicate, and in this context it means one product that imitates another. On e.l.f.’s website, they currently have 34 dupes for sale, ranging from lip gloss dupes to setting sprays. To put it simply, that’s 34 high-end products for a cheaper price. I’ll be reviewing the five most viral dupes according to TikTok, putting them to the test to see which version is better.
First off, e.l.f.’s Halo Glow and Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. A Charlotte Tilbury dupe, this product blew up in 2024. Both are a sheer, low-coverage foundation with a glowy finish. The dupe is thinner, while the high-end product is thicker. Both are great, but Halo Glow has given me some serious breakouts. The pricey $49 Flawless Filter beats its $14 dupe, but just barely.
Let’s talk about the viral Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Blush, duped by the e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush. Both products are known for their vibrant pigment and long-lasting product. On the downside, the Rare Beauty version tends to spill/leak over the edges of the container. The e.l.f. Blush has a slightly different applicator, more rounded without a foot. The high-end version is $25 with 13 shades, while the dupe is $7 with 12 shades. For these products, I would have to side with Rare Beauty, because it has an extra shade and comes in matte and dewy options. With that aside, both products look amazing on the skin and don’t cause acne or redness to my cheeks.
Next, e.l.f’s first viral dupe, the Power Grip Primer, imitating the Milk Hydrogrip primer. Its Milk counterpart is $38, while the full size for e.l.f. is $10. Both are meant to dry down sticky, leaving an adhesive canvas for your makeup to top. The Milk primer breaks me out, and the reviews say the same. The dupe also comes in a pink version that contains niacinamide. The dupes are great for the skin, as it goes on smoothly and dries as a tacky base for your makeup, and does not break me out. D e.l.f. is a definite win on this one.
Now we have the e.l.f. Bronzing Drops, a dupe for the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi drops. There are several products on the market like these two, including the L’Oreal Lumi Glotion and the Supergoop Glowscreen, both less popular because they are known to cause acne. The e.l.f. dupe and its $38 counterpart, are equally amazing. They darken the skin and give that tanned glow with a sprinkle of shimmer in both. However, e.l.f. wins for one reason and one only: it comes with more product. The product is not only cheaper but lasts much longer, and considering the similarity in formula, e.l.f. takes the cake.
Lastly, the popular e.l.f. dupe is their Halo Glow Wands, which dupes Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Contour, Blush and Highlighter. Charlotte Tilbury tends to be a popular brand to dupe, due to its high prices. e.l.f.’s Halo Glow Wands come in highlighter, blush and contour shades, which are each $9. These are also dupes for the Charlotte Tilbury wands, all three of which are $49 at Sephora. The Charlotte Tilbury wands do carry a bit more product, but both look the same on the skin. They are both prone to leaking but leave a great finish and don’t cause acne. This one is a tie.
Overall, all e.l.f. Products are amazing, their dupes especially. Every viral product lives up to the hype, some even surpassing their original.
BY CARSON NICHOLS