In Defense of Dupes: The One Who Does It First Isn’t Always the Best

The beauty brands are fighting! Well, sorta. The internet’s been ablaze this week, and not just because Taylor Swift announced new music. It all started when model and actress Molly Sims posted a teary-eyed video on Instagram criticizing another founder for copying her brand YISE Beauty’s Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream. She didn’t say who it was in the now-deleted video, but viewers quickly gleaned that she was referencing Jones Road’s new Wide Awake Brightening Neutralizer and Concealer that came out last week.Then, more unrelated beauty drama ensued a few days later. Last week, Fenty Beauty teased its new Dew N Plump Fresh-Sliced Hydrogel Eye Patches, which featured a “first of its kind” packaging that dispenses and actually cuts off a fresh slice of hydrogel when you twist the tub. The next day, though, Glow Recipe shipped out a package to influencers featuring the same twist-and-dispense tube for its new Exopeptide Caffeine Brightening and Depuffing Fresh Slices Eye Mask. Hmmm, many people wondered, confused about which brand came up with it first. It got especially awkward just a few hours later when Huda Beauty announced their first skincare product: You guessed it, twist-and-dispense eye patches in the exact same tube design (theirs are called Undereye Jelly Patches). Oh, and Bubble, Vitamasques, and Wonderskin also posted about working on their own versions too.Evidently, all three brands worked with the same manufacturer and potentially were told they would be the first to market. “Fenty, then Glow Recipe, then Huda !!!! Who’s next? 😂😂😂” a commenter shared on creator Prableen Kaur Bhomrah’s announcement of the Huda patches. The commotion sparked a zillion reaction videos on TikTok, many of which speculate about beef between the brand founders.Both situations, from eye patch-gate to the Wide Awake eye cream/concealer debacle, have led people to claim we’re in an industry that lacks true innovation. All of the biggest brands are shooting to launch the new, “it” thing, whether that be specific packaging, product style, or even a special product name. From there, the dupes follow. But as a beauty editor, I don’t really care who does it first. I care who does it the best.In the age of dupe culture, brands will inevitably launch similar products. Sure, it’s a nice talking point to boast about the innovative nature of a new product. Fresh-cut hydrogel eye patches are cool. But being the first iteration of something doesn’t actually influence me to buy it. What does? How well it works. This whole drama has cut through any real accounts of how these actually perform. Is there a real benefit to the freshness? Is the packaging more hygienic? Is that better for depuffing your eye bags? I want less fanfare about the innovation and who did it first and more reviews of how it actually beats out the hundreds of other eye patches on the market.Of course, I understand being protective of what you’ve created. But the twist-and-dispense packaging wasn’t custom to these brands in the first place. In general, brands have the same packaging fairly often. And I can’t say an under-eye product called “Wide Awake” is reinventing the wheel. In fact, this is likely why YISE Beauty hasn’t been able to obtain the trademark yet, which Jones Road noted they looked into when naming their product. It all further begs the question: Maybe being first doesn’t actually matter when the time comes to swipe your card.The industry seems so hyperfocused on trying to get out something new that we’ve lost the plot on performance. Everyone wants to be known as the brand that did it first. Then, when the dupes inevitably come, they can boast about being the OG. But dupes are celebrated in beauty now, so it could actually be a detriment to be the first to market.Personally, I don’t mind if a brand has the same packaging or name as another one, so long as the formula inside of it is unique and actually good. Likely, people are going to buy from the brands they’re already loyal to, or in this economy, whatever’s cheapest.Luckily, the brands seem to be in good spirits. Sims posted on her Instagram Stories that she and Jones Road founder Bobbi Brown worked through their issues privately. And Fenty and Huda Beauty collaborated on an Instagram post joking about the packaging kerfuffle (People Brands and Things even posted about the reaction campaign). FWIW, I’ve tested both Wide Awake products. YISE’s is a great your-skin-but-better, tinted eye cream with only four shades, while the Jones Road is a true under-eye concealer in a wide shade range. I like them both, but they’re definitely quite different. As for the eye patches, we’ll have to wait and see if any of the formulas are actually worth all this hoopla.Why trust Cosmopolitan? Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair, makeup, nail, and fragrance stories. She tests virtually every new beauty product on the market and shares her thoughts on the site, in the print magazine, and on our beauty Substack, The Beauty Closet.Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.