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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was offering a recent product collection that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look remarkably similar. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name labels and present budget-friendly substitutes to high-end items. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will do the basics to a acceptable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just covering the name and advertising - at times the increased price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the research used to develop the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they might include less effective components that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The big question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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For advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she advises sticking to more specialised labels.

The expert explains these typically have been through expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says expert another professional.

If the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite studies done by other brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

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