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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was launching a new beauty line that appeared similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her nearest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue tube and gold cap of both products look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts argue some alternatives to premium brands are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably more effective," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a program about famous people.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is fairly affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also suggest shoppers do their research and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - at times the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research used to develop the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional says it's valuable considering how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

She explains these typically have been through costly tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the seller does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by other brands, she says.

Read the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up