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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold cap of both items look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

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

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established brands and offer affordable substitutes to high-end products. They frequently have alike labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals say certain dupes to luxury labels are good quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," notes a podcast host, who hosts a show featuring public figures.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "They will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the specialists also recommend shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science used to develop the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the original".

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

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For more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends selecting more specialised companies.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the effectiveness of the item, it needs data to back it up, "but the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference testing done by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Container

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

Components on the back of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up