Where are the dupes for a $182 fan-favorite skincare product?

The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos spoke with Business Insider about the expiration of the patent for SkinCeuticals' $182 C E Ferulic vitamin C serum and the prospect of other brands making "dupes," or comparable products at a lower price.

"It's been such a popular and efficacious product, it's pretty clear that brands are going to try to duplicate that," Dobos, a cosmetic chemist and adjunct instructor in UC's Cosmetic Science Program in the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, told Business Insider.

While the patent is expired, Dobos explained there's no guarantee other companies will get the exact formulation right at a lower price point, especially since it's likely the patent did not tell the full story of the serum's formulation and manufacturing.

On a larger scale, Dobos said dupe culture may not be the best thing for consumers or the industry, as time spent trying to copy competitors takes away from trials and development of new, innovative products.

"I do think the kind of dupe culture that we're in is hindering innovation in a way because it's taking time and resources away from it," she said. "True, disruptive innovation takes time."

Read the Business Insider article, also published on MSN.

Featured photo at top of a woman washing her face. Photo/Extreme Photographer/iStock.