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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that looked similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both items look noticeably alike. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recent poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established brands and provide cost-effective substitutes to premium items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say many dupes to premium labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion costlier is always better," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the specialists also recommend shoppers do their research and say that higher-priced items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - often the increased cost also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to produce the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's important questioning how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they might include bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For advanced products or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using medical-grade companies.

She states these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to verify it, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference studies conducted by different firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could suggest a item is poor?

Components on the back of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up