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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a discounter was selling a recent skincare range that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her closest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue tube and gold cap of both creams look strikingly comparable. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic bigger name companies and present cost-effective substitutes to premium products. These products typically have alike labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend certain dupes to high-end labels are good standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably superior," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says a podcast host, who runs a program with public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or something which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology employed to develop the item, and trials into the item's performance, she notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable considering how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain bulking agents that don't have as significant positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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For more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using more specialised companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs data to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference testing done by different firms, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is poor?

Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up