Budget supermarket Aldi is much-loved for its weekly Specialbuys and cult beauty products, with viral hits including body mists that riff off Sol De Janeiro, bonding repair haircare similar to Olaplex and a Kylie lip kit alternative. Aldi’s £2.99 lip oil gives Charlotte Tilbury’s a run for its money.

While we’re huge fans of the premium make-up and skincare brands that Aldi takes inspiration from, these popular products aren’t always the cheapest. Still, thanks to TikTok shining a spotlight on trending favourites, we’re always tempted to trial timeless picks and viral buys, to see the results for ourselves.

When thinking about saving cash, we’re constantly intrigued by the budget alternatives Aldi regularly drops, all of which most closely mirror a premium brand’s product packaging too. While the ingredients list may differ slightly, we’ve found key components are often included (just in varying quantities). For example, Aldi’s Pixi glow tonic alternative shares glycolic acid and aloe vera in common with the original.

Speaking of beloved brands, Charlotte Tilbury is a tried-and-tested IndyBest name, thanks to the signature pillow talk and magic cream ranges. So, we were very excited to find out about Aldi’s latest launch, which looks to us a lot like Charlotte Tilbury’s eponymously named Charlotte’s magic lip oil crystal elixir (£28, Johnlewis.com). The big difference though is Aldi’s Lacura collagen lip oil costs a snip at only £2.99.

But while the tubes both have a roller ball applicator, metallic detailing and linear-style illustrations, how does this cheaper version fare? We saw it as our shopping expert duty to find out.

How we tested

Our reviewer sampled Aldi Lacura’s collagen lip oil, looking at the packaging, price point, formula and results. We wanted to see whether this latest big-brand dupe lived up to our expectations. Read on for our full tried-and-tested take.

Aldi Lacura collagen lip oil

Tube size : 8ml

Applicator : Rollerball tip

Why we love it

Portable tube

Easy rollerball applicator

Gentle shine

Softens and smooths

Take note

Weak staying power

Presented in a tiny 8ml tube, this is the same compact-sized packaging as Charlotte’s magic lip oil elixir (which costs £28) and we love how easily it slots into our purse, bag or desk drawer. We instantly noticed the chic finish, from its metallic lid to its linear pattern, and, when taking off the top, our tester saw a rollerball applicator. Once more, that’s identical to the applicator included on Charlotte Tilbury’s magic lip oil.

In fact, this applicator got a special mention when we included Charlotte’s magic lip oil crystal elixir in our best lip oils round-up, where our tester raved about the product for “adding a healthy, glossy sheen”. They added: “Sitting nicely over lipstick thanks to the clear formula, the product isn’t sticky, leaves no residue and delivers long-lasting hydration”. That’s high pout praise indeed.

As for the Aldi version, we found the rollerball makes smoothing this oil across lips quick and easy, and because it offers plentiful coverage and precision, there’s no need for a mirror either. The oil is a transparent shade, and key cruelty-free ingredients cover vitamin E, shea butter and collagen, with our tester feeling these conditioning components while slicking the product onto lips.

We think this product fits in somewhere between a lip gloss, lip oil and lip balm hybrid, as we’ve seen gentle shine, felt softening nourishment and noticed its excellent absorption. Happily, it doesn’t create any greasy residue, instead simply feeling like a lightweight touch of lip nourishment. While, unlike Charlotte Tilbury’s magic lip oil, there wasn’t a prolonged level of overt glossiness left on our lips, we did see a moisturising layer with every application. From our testing comparison, we’d say Aldi’s number is a more subtly hydrating lip oil. And for just shy of £3, we certainly don’t mind topping it up regularly. Particularly as the cute tube is so perfect for stashing in our make-up bag.

If you want to get your hands on it, the lip oil will be in-store from Sunday 15 September.

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The verdict: Aldi Lacura collagen lip oil

As affordable lip oil goes, we can’t fault this tiny Lacura tube. The rollerball application makes for seamless pout coverage, while the formula delivers soothing lip smoothing without any greasiness. While we did need a top-up to retain hydration levels, we saw subtle nourishment and, with change leftover from £3, we’re sold. The Aldi Lacura collagen lip oil is available in-store on Sunday 15 September.

We’ve tested more Aldi beauty products to see which ones are (and aren’t) worth your money