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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that looked similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of the two creams look strikingly alike. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known companies and offer budget-friendly options to premium products. They frequently have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts argue many substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the experts also recommend shoppers investigate and note that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the label and advertising - often the higher price tag also stems from the formula and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the technology used to develop the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist she argues it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they may contain less effective components that do not provide as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding potent items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends using research-backed labels.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use testing completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up