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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a discounter was offering a new product collection that seemed akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her closest store to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each creams look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy established companies and offer budget-friendly options to premium products. They often have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue some substitutes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show with famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

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

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also advise shoppers investigate and say that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the key component, the science employed to create the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could include bulking agents that lack as significant positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding potent products or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to medical-grade brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to do the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by different firms, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Components on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up