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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was selling a new product collection that looked similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold lid of both creams look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. These products often have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts argue some substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about famous people.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

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

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the specialists also recommend consumers check details and state that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - sometimes the increased price tag also stems from the formula and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the technology employed to create the item, and trials into the products' performance, she says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable thinking about how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have data to back it up, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by other companies, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up