dupe

This is not the verb meaning ‘to trick or fool’ but a shortened version of the word duplicate.  It was originally used in the film industry way back in the 1920s for a pirated copy of a film and then for any second negative.  In this sense it acquired a verb with a wider use, essentially meaning ‘to imitate or copy’ but in this limited field of cinema.

It then moved into other comparable situations like gaming in the 1980s but has finally emerged in the cosmetics industry for products which imitate an existing one but are available at a cheaper price.  Apparently in cosmetics there are very, very few innovations in the actual materials so there are no patents to worry about.  Care needs to be taken in the packaging to make it similar while not transgressing any trademarks.  Duping a popular product at an affordable price can be very successful. Consumers don’t care about the ethics of duping because the dupes do the job just as well and cost less.