Are Brand Name Products Worth It?
Brand names refer to any company, manufacturer or provider of a given product. Usually, brand names refer to leading or popular brands, not generic brands that are cheaper and often seen as lower quality.
But is this true? Are generic products really inferior to leading brands?
Generic drugs may cost up to 85 per cent less according to the American Food and Drug Association, even though they are “bio-equivalent” to their branded counterparts, meaning the two share the same active ingredient and effects.
Generic companies essentially borrow the recipe that a drug’s original inventor spent money researching, with a trade-off being that generic companies must wait until the patent lifts before they can manufacture someone else’s drug. Pharmaceutical companies get exclusive patents over newly discovered drugs for a certain period, meaning generic companies cannot compete in selling them right away.
Additionally, generic companies often compete with each other, meaning they lower prices to get as many customers as possible.
Generic drugs are held to the same rigorous standards as brand name drugs to legally be considered a suitable replacement for them. For instance, generic ibuprofen must pass the same tests as a brand name like Advil to be allowed on the market. Therefore, at a chemical level, generic drugs function the same as brand-name products despite being significantly cheaper.
Differences in product appearance, however, can induce a placebo or nocebo effect—a person’s belief about how strong a medication is impacts the way their body responds to it.
Knowing the chemical names of products is not only useful when looking for the best value medicines, but also when shopping for cleaning products. For instance, Arm and Hammer Soda Wash is just made of sodium carbonate (not sodium bicarbonate which is baking soda). Sodium carbonate—also known as ash sods—on its own is far cheaper than this brand product, though chemically it does the same thing when it comes to cleaning.
Floors and tiles do not need a specially bought cleaning solution to be wiped down, since using as low as 25 per cent vinegar diluted in water to a half-and-half solution of the two liquids is a cheaper way of clearing up grime. Mixing warm water with a few drops of dish soap is another inexpensive cleaning hack.
In some cases, brand names are desirable, as in the case of window cleaners where generic brands are more likely to leave stains. Other times, the efficacy of a product is determined on a case-by-case basis. For example, Tide is considered the best laundry detergent, but for lighter loads, a cheaper product gets the job done just as well.
When it comes to clothes, the differences between brands that have off-label clothing are becoming less noticeable. Even though famous clothing brands have the reputation of being high quality, they can still churn out mediocre products while generic clothes are often made out of comfortable and durable material. Going cheap with one’s clothes does not have many practical downsides.
People who want social recognition by wearing fancy clothing brands can search for duplicates, or “dupes.” Dupes are cheaper clothes sold as expensive items from companies like Louis Vuitton. Some vendors openly sell dupes, allowing people to gain the prestige of wearing high-class clothing for a fraction of the cost.
