Dupe Culture 👜

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You used to get ridiculed or made fun of for getting caught wearing a counterfeit good.

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Today, consumers love a good dupe–Internet slang for a “duplicate” product.

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Nearly one-third (31%) of U.S. adults intentionally bought a counterfeit product, and brands are leaning in. Lululemon, the popular athletic apparel company, offered fans in Los Angeles the chance to swap in their dupe of its popular $98 Align tights in-store for the real thing. Olaplex, the premium haircare brand, joined the narrative around dupe culture with a playful campaign by duplicating its product under a new name, OLAPLEX, which became OLADUPÉ.

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While most people buy dupes for the savings, many admitted to doing so even though they could afford the authentic version.

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Experts predict the trend will have staying power, as dupe discourse can be found across every online medium, from blogs to YouTube to TikTok. TikTok videos with the #dupe hashtag have already racked up ~6 billion views.