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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a supermarket was offering a recent skincare range that looked comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her local outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not used the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known companies and offer cost-effective options to premium items. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts contend many dupes to high-end brands are decent quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program with public figures.

A lot of of the items based on luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the specialists also recommend buyers check details and state that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the label and promotion - at times the higher price also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to produce the item, and trials into the item's performance, she notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they may contain filler ingredients that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises sticking to research-backed companies.

She states these probably have been through expensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to support it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use studies conducted by other firms, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up