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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was launching a recent skincare range that looked similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue container and gold cap of both products look remarkably similar. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established labels and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals contend certain alternatives to premium brands are decent standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is always better," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about famous people.

Many of the items based on luxury labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers do their research and say that more expensive items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just paying for the label and promotion - at times the higher price tag also stems from the formula and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the research employed to create the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert she says it's important questioning how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they could have bulking agents that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be sold by the container," he cautioned.

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For more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting medical-grade companies.

The expert states these typically have been subjected to costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence conducted by other brands, she says.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

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

Components on the list of the tube are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up