Are brand-name products worth the extra cost? Can you get the same results with generics and have a few extra dollars available for your next investment? US Airways Magazine writer Aviya Kushner answers this question with an affirmative yes. In her article Plain or Fancy? Should You Use Generics or Brand Names? Here’s What the Experts Say, Kushner argues that as long as the generic product contains the same active ingredients as its brand-name counterpart, consumers can save up to 50% by going with the generic option while getting the same results they are used to. However, Kushner warns that in some cases, the off-brand just won’t do. The present article offers some guidelines on how to determine which products you should buy generic so that you get the most quantity for your buck without sacrificing quality.

When it comes to both prescription and non-prescription drugs, it is usually okay to go with a generic brand. Dr. John Abramson of Harvard University Medical School says that “you need to know the active ingredient of the brand-name drug you want to buy the generic in… and you do have to be a good label reader.” (81). Dr. Abramson notes the importance of getting the chemical equivalent of the brand-name drug. For instance, “the chemical is the same, but the other components that make a pill or powder can be different… maybe that pill crumbles a litte bit easier, or maybe there’s a different texture to the powder” (81). In order to get the benefits of Advil, one can buy a store brand of Ibuoprofen such as CVS or Hannaford and get rid of that headache in the same amount of time. Yet, for other medical products such as earswabs, Abramson suggests that the brand-name may be better since there is no federal regulation stating that all Q tips must have the same amount of cotton (81).

As for food products, Kushner finds that at times it’s worth the extra money to buy brand name goods, especially if one is loyal to organic products. In an interview with Mollie Katzen, author of The Moosewood Cookbook and a consultant to Harvard’s Dining Services, the chef told Kushner that she is “conscious about… anything that needs USDA approval, [especially] dairy products and eggs because they can have growth hormone in them” (80). She is also aware of “package v. product.” Felder says that “nine times out of ten a generic product will be packaged by a brand name product and a lot of them come from the same source” (80). Eve Felder, associate dean at The Culinary Arts Institute of America tells Kushner that soy and corn oil are the only two generics she uses in her professional life, but at home she refuses to give up certain brand name products such as tobasco sauce and mayonnaise (80).

Ask Felder about the potency of generic olive oil and the consummate chef’s eyes light up. She says, “Olive oil is just like wine… it’s a fruit, and and a vintage. It’s not so much a brand, but which harvest. Did Spain have a really good harvest this year or did it rain a lot?” (80). Salt and honey are other products Felder never buys generic. She also recommends that people buy brand-name knives, although generic wooden spoons are permissable (80).

Kushner also discusses the viability of generic cosmetic and personal care products. According to Etienne Taenaka, winner of the Los Angeles Blow Dryer of the Year Award, given by Harper and Queens, it’s fine to go generic with blow dryers and combs, but not with brushes or shampoos. He enthuses, “brushes I’m very particular about, because many generic brushes are made in such high volume that the way they’re glued onto the base will pull the hair. With a well-made brush, the ball and the bristle is all one piece” (81). So next time you go to the salon, buy a Mason Pearson brush instead of a Goody brand at the drug store. It will last much longer and you’ll keep your hair longer too.

The bottom line: If you do your research and pay attention to the labels, you can be a smarter and wealthier consumer, but don’t be afraid to pay more for brand name products if the generic substitute is not a generic equivalent.

Sources:

Kushner, Aviya. “Plain or Fancy? Should You Use Generics or Name Brands? Here’s What the Experts Say” in US Airways Magazine, Aug. 2006 (Greensboro, NC: Pace Communications). pp. 78-81.