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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper found out a supermarket was offering a new skincare range that appeared similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue tube and gold lid of both creams look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and provide budget-friendly alternatives to luxury products. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals argue some alternatives to luxury labels are good standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast with public figures.

Numerous of the products modeled on luxury brands "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers investigate and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - often the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to produce the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they could have less effective components that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One major doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she advises using research-backed companies.

The expert explains these will likely have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it requires research to support it, "however the brand doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference studies completed by other brands, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up