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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard a supermarket was launching a fresh skincare range that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of both creams look strikingly alike. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to luxury items. They frequently have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts contend some alternatives to luxury brands are decent standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," comments dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a program featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items based on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the specialists also suggest consumers investigate and note that higher-priced products are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the label and advertising - at times the increased price also is due to the formula and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science used to develop the item, and tests into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's valuable considering how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they may contain filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.

If the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to support it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use studies completed by different firms, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up