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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of both items look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established companies and present affordable alternatives to luxury items. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty professionals say some substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always better," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring public figures.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend consumers do their research and state that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not just paying for the label and promotion - sometimes the elevated price tag also stems from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to produce the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert explains.

Skin therapist she says it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may have filler ingredients that don't have as significant positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

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

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting more specialised labels.

She says these will likely have been subjected to expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence done by other companies, she clarifies.

Check the Label of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the tube are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up