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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was launching a fresh product collection that appeared similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold top of the two items look noticeably similar. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established brands and present affordable options to premium items. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts contend many dupes to premium labels are decent quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also advise consumers do their research and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the name and promotion - often the elevated price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to create the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she says it's worth considering how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he warned.

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For more complicated items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using more specialised brands.

She says these will likely have been through costly studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the performance of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead reference evidence conducted by different brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up