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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was selling a fresh beauty line that appeared comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her local outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue packaging and gold top of each products look strikingly alike. Although she has not used the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and provide cost-effective options to high-end products. They frequently have alike labels and design, but occasionally the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists say certain alternatives to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury labels "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the label and marketing - often the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the research used to develop the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, she says.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may contain filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to research-backed labels.

She says these probably have been through expensive tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference studies completed by other firms, she says.

Check the Label of the Container

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up