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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was offering a recent product collection that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its smooth blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and present affordable options to high-end products. They typically have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts argue many alternatives to luxury labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably superior," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all budget product line is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes a podcast host, who runs a show about celebrities.

Numerous of the products based on high-end labels "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he comments. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest consumers investigate and say that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the label and advertising - sometimes the higher cost also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the technology used to produce the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable thinking about how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they could include less effective components that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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For more complicated items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises using medical-grade brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use studies completed by other brands, she adds.

Check the Back of the Pack

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

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up