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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out a discounter was selling a new beauty line that seemed similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

Its smooth blue container and gold cap of the two products look noticeably comparable. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recently published survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name labels and present budget-friendly alternatives to luxury products. These products frequently have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals say some dupes to premium brands are good standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a podcast host, who presents a program about famous people.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a acceptable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the specialists also advise shoppers check details and state that costlier products are at times worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the brand and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also stems from the components and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to develop the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert she says it's important thinking about how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they could contain bulking agents that don't have as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends using medical-grade labels.

She states these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the product, it needs data to support it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up