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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was launching a new skincare range that seemed akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her local store to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue tube and gold cap of both creams look strikingly similar. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate established companies and provide affordable substitutes to luxury items. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals contend certain alternatives to high-end brands are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show about celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the professionals also suggest buyers do their research and say that more expensive items are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - often the elevated price also is due to the formula and their standard, the strength of the key component, the research utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they could contain filler ingredients that don't have as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises using medical-grade companies.

She states these will likely have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead cite studies done by different brands, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the bottle are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up