Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Tried Viral Product Dupes and These Actually Worked Better
36
items You keep seeing the same expensive products blow up on TikTok, and every time you check the price tag, your wallet screams. I spent six months buying the budget versions of viral favorites, testing them side by side, and honestly? Some of these cheap...
Sections
6
Skincare Dupes That Cleared My Skin Faster
Makeup Dupes My Friends Couldn't Tell Apart
Hair Products That Fixed My Frizz for Less
Kitchen Finds That Replaced Pricey Viral Gadgets
Cleaning Products That Outperformed Viral Picks
Home and Organization Dupes Worth the Switch
Skincare Dupes That Cleared My Skin Faster
My medicine cabinet was full of $40 serums that did absolutely nothing. Swapped them out one by one for these, and my skin looked better within two weeks than it had in months.
Grab this if you spent $38 on a fancy cleanser that left your face tight and dry. My skin stopped flaking after three days of switching, and it costs less than a drive-thru meal.
CeraVe, Hydrating Facial Cleanser, 12 fl oz, for Normal
Swap this in for your pricey ceramide cream. Same ingredient list, fraction of the cost. A coworker asked what new skincare routine I started. It was literally just this.
Equate Ultra Hydrating Beauty Lotion, 6 fl oz
Use this instead of the $65 pore-minimizing serum everyone was pushing last summer. Two weeks in and my nose pores looked like they'd been professionally extracted.
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 2 oz
Perfect for anyone whose skin gets oily by noon but still feels dehydrated underneath. Replaced my $52 water cream with this and honestly cannot tell a single difference.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Sunscreen SPF 50
Toss those $15 micellar wipes in the trash. These took off waterproof mascara on the first swipe when the viral brand needed three passes and still left raccoon eyes.
Equate Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, 80 Count
Try this before dropping $44 on an exfoliating wash. My hormonal chin bumps cleared up in ten days. Ten. Days. I'm still a little mad I waited so long to switch.
CeraVe Renewing SA Face Cleanser, Facial Wash Gel
Makeup Dupes My Friends Couldn't Tell Apart
I wore one viral product on one eye and the dupe on the other for a full week. Not a single person noticed, which tells you everything you need to know about paying $30 for eyeshadow.
Ditch the $34 primer that went viral. This one holds makeup through a 12-hour shift, summer humidity, and a post-work gym session. Paid $10 and felt like I committed a heist.
e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, 0.811 fl oz
Get this if you've been eyeing that $29 lip gloss everyone posts. Same buttery texture, zero stickiness, and it comes in like 30 shades so you can grab five for the price of one viral tube.
NYX Professional Makeup, Butter Gloss, Ginger Snap
Use this instead of the $28 tubing mascara blowing up right now. Gave me the same wispy separated lashes and didn't flake onto my cheeks by 3pm. My lashes looked fake in the best way.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Washable Mascara
For anyone who almost bought that $42 glow product but hesitated at checkout. Smart move. This does the exact same lit-from-within thing and blends out even faster.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, 1 Fair, 1.06 fl oz
Snag these before they sell out again. Replaced my $36 liquid blush that everyone on TikTok swore by. The color payoff is actually better and it doesn't pill over sunscreen.
FLOWER Beauty, Blush Bomb Color Drops
Try this if you keep repurchasing that $30 concealer out of habit. Covers my dark circles just as well, doesn't crease, and costs less than a fancy coffee. I bought backups.
LA Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer (Color : Toffee - GC984)
Hair Products That Fixed My Frizz for Less
Spent an embarrassing amount on salon-brand dupes of viral hair products before realizing the drugstore versions sitting right there on the shelf worked just as well. Lesson learned the expensive way.
Swap this in for that $28 coconut shampoo everyone raves about. My hair felt just as soft and the scent lasted longer. Ran out once and went back to the expensive one, regretted it immediately.
OGX, Damage Repair + Coconut Oil Shampoo
Keep this in your shower if your ends look like straw by Wednesday. Three minutes, not thirty. Replaced a $40 hair mask and my stylist still compliments my hair health every visit.
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner
Use this if humidity turns your hair into a lion's mane. Applied two drops before a beach vacation and my hair stayed smooth the entire trip. The viral version costs four times more for the same result.
Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Hair Serum
Perfect for wavy and curly hair people who tried that $32 curl cream and got crunchy results. This gives soft, bouncy definition without the cast. Scrunch it in damp hair and walk out the door.
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Defining Curl Cream, 6 fl oz
Grab this instead of the $48 argan oil that went viral last fall. Same silky finish, same ingredients on the label. I compared them drop for drop and genuinely could not find a difference.
Equate Sleek & Smooth Conditioner for Frizzy & Dry Hair
For anyone with color-treated hair who's scared of cheap conditioner stripping their color. Six weeks in and my highlights still look fresh. My colorist confirmed it. Under $5.
Dove, Conditioner, Intensive Repair for Damaged Hair
Kitchen Finds That Replaced Pricey Viral Gadgets
My kitchen drawers were stuffed with trendy gadgets that broke after a month. Started replacing them with simpler, cheaper versions and somehow everything works better now.
Toss those $25 viral spatulas that started peeling after two months. These survived a year of daily pancake flipping and still look brand new. Heat resistant and they actually fit in my utensil drawer.
Mainstays Blue Silicone Kitchen Spatula, 10.55 in
Use these instead of the $18 pre-cut sheets trending online. Same non-stick magic for cookies and sheet pan dinners. Cut my cleanup time in half and cost roughly the price of a candy bar.
Great Value Non-Stick Parchment Paper, 50 sq ft
Grab this set before your next baking project. Replaced the $60 aesthetic bowls that chipped in the dishwasher. These nest together, don't slide around, and will probably outlive me.
Farberware Set of 3 Nesting Plastic Mixing Bowls, Red
Perfect for anyone with arthritis or weak grip strength who saw that $45 automatic opener go viral. This one opens cans smoothly every time and sits on my counter without looking like a spaceship.
Hamilton Beach, Electric Can Opener, Smooth Edge
Switch to this from the $40 tumbler everyone carries. Kept my iced coffee cold for nine hours during a road trip. Nine. I tested it because I didn't believe the reviews. They were right.
Ozark Trail 20oz Stainless Steel Tumbler - Vacuum-Sealed
Snag this if you're tired of buying $22 soap dispensers that rust around the pump after two months. Simple, clean look, no corrosion. Sitting by my kitchen sink for a year and still spotless.
Mainstays Frosted White Soap Pump, Plastic
Cleaning Products That Outperformed Viral Picks
Watched one too many cleaning TikToks and bought every trendy product they recommended. Turns out the boring budget versions cleaned circles around them. Literally tested them on the same countertop.
Try this on your kitchen grease before spending $12 on that pink stuff everyone posts about. Sprayed my stovetop, waited 30 seconds, wiped once. Done. It costs a dollar and I'm not exaggerating.
LA's Totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser
Keep a canister in every room. Same active ingredients as the viral brand, same kill rate on the label. I compared them side by side on my bathroom counter and the results were identical.
SCENT BEAUTY
Use this if you're paying $8 for trendy dish soap that smells nice but can't cut grease. This powered through a lasagna pan I'd been soaking for two days. Took less than a minute of scrubbing.
Great Value Ultra Dish Liquid, Original, 28 fl oz
Grab this instead of the $15 toilet cleaner with the pretty label. Removed a ring stain my old product couldn't touch in three applications. Sometimes boring packaging just means the budget went into the formula.
Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach, Rain Clean
For anyone who spent $25 on that viral laundry detergent and still had dingy whites. Switched to this, added a scoop of OxiClean, and my white towels look like hotel towels again.
Arm & Hammer, Liquid Laundry Detergent, 50 Fl oz
Bring this home if you have a garage, workshop, or teenage son's bathroom. Cleaned engine grease off my husband's work shirts when two other trendy stain removers failed completely.
Zep Industrial Purple Cleaner and Degreaser Concentrate
Home and Organization Dupes Worth the Switch
Fell for every pretty organization product on social media, then realized half of them didn't fit standard shelves or drawers. These boring-looking alternatives actually solved the storage chaos in my house.
Get this instead of the $90 cube shelf that looks identical. Held up through a move, two kids climbing on it, and a cat who sleeps on top. Still perfectly level after 14 months.
Mainstays 6 Cube Storage Organizer, White, Particle Board
Pair these with labels and your pantry will look like those Pinterest photos without spending $80 on matching containers. They stack perfectly and the lids actually snap shut, unlike the trendy brand that popped open constantly.
Sterilite, Storage Container, 30 Qt 6-pack
Swap your mismatched hangers for these. My closet looks like a boutique now and everything stays put. The viral slim hangers cost three times more and one broke the first week I used it.
Mainstays Plastic Clothes Hangers, Black, 50-Count
Toss your old baskets that sag and collapse. These keep their shape even stuffed full of blankets. Bought them for my living room shelves and guests assume they're from a home decor store.
Better Homes & Gardens Collapsible Woven Cube Storage
Use this for way more than shoes. I store cleaning supplies, hair tools, and snacks in mine. The viral acrylic organizer cost $35 and held half as much. This was under $7.
Mainstays 24 Pocket Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer
Perfect for the junk drawer that makes you cringe every time you open it. Took ten minutes to sort everything and now I can actually find tape, scissors, and batteries without digging. Life before this was chaos.
Pen+Gear 5-Piece Drawer Organizer Set, Green Emerald