Internet
dupe
What does dupe mean?
A clearly-not-the-original product that mimics a pricey item closely enough to scratch the same itch. Lululemon leggings for £15 at Aldi, a Sol de Janeiro mist from The Ordinary, a Dyson hairdryer from Shark. TikTok built an entire genre around hunting them.
"This Zara bag is a dead-on dupe for the Bottega."
Origin
Short for 'duplicate'. Beauty bloggers used it for years; TikTok turned it into a full shopping subculture from 2022 onward with #dupe hauls.
Frequently asked questions
What does dupe mean in beauty and fashion?
A dupe is a cheap lookalike of an expensive product that gives a similar result for less money.
How do you use dupe in a sentence?
"This £8 mascara is a dead-on dupe for the designer one."
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