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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was offering a recent skincare range that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look noticeably alike. While Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

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

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to premium items. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals contend some substitutes to luxury brands are good standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who runs a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products based on high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises 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 probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest consumers do their research and note that costlier products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - sometimes the higher price also stems from the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they may have filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the container," he added.

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For potent products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises using more specialised brands.

She says these probably have been through comprehensive trials to determine how successful they are.

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

If the label advertises about the performance of the product, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use testing conducted by different brands, she says.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

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