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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer learned a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that looked comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold lid of each creams look noticeably similar. And though Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

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

Over a fourth of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established brands and present affordable options to high-end items. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say certain substitutes to high-end brands are decent standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget product line is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a podcast host, who hosts a show with celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on luxury labels "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

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

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

However the experts also advise consumers check details and note that more expensive products are at times worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the higher price also stems from the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research employed to create the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, the expert says.

Beauty expert she suggests it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they may include less effective components that don't have as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using more specialised companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing completed by other brands, she adds.

Read the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the label of the tube are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up