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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a supermarket was launching a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of both items look noticeably similar. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK consumers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue certain alternatives to premium labels are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably better," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and note that more expensive items are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - often the higher cost also stems from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' performance, she says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they could have less effective components that lack as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises using more specialised labels.

The expert states these typically have been through costly studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to back it up, "but the brand doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use studies completed by different brands, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

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

Components on the back of the container are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up