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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a discounter was selling a fresh product collection that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of the two creams look remarkably alike. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established labels and present cost-effective alternatives to luxury products. They typically have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts contend some substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," adds a podcast host, who presents a program featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "They will handle the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the experts also recommend shoppers check details and say that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased cost also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the item, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they could have filler ingredients that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For advanced products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using research-backed brands.

She states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains expert another professional.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite testing done by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are listed by amount. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up