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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a discounter was selling a new product collection that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue tube and gold lid of both products look noticeably alike. While she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate bigger name brands and present affordable substitutes to premium items. These products frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists argue some substitutes to premium brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the experts also recommend shoppers investigate and say that more expensive items are sometimes worth the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - sometimes the elevated cost also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the research used to create the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, she explains.

Facialist she argues it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they might include bulking agents that don't have as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade brands.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the company states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to support it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite studies completed by different firms, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a item is poor?

Components on the label of the tube are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up