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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a discounter was launching a fresh skincare range that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her local store to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold lid of each items look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK consumers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and provide budget-friendly options to luxury products. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend many dupes to premium labels are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," states skin specialist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

A lot of of the items based on high-end labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also advise buyers check details and note that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and advertising - at times the increased price also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology employed to create the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they might include filler ingredients that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a established brand but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For potent items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to more specialised brands.

She states these typically have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it requires research to back it up, "but the seller does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference testing completed by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Container

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

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up