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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard a supermarket was launching a recent beauty line that looked similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of the two creams look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic established companies and offer budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists contend certain alternatives to luxury labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is always superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," says a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast featuring public figures.

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

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

However the specialists also advise buyers check details and say that more expensive products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the brand and promotion - often the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist she argues it's worth questioning how certain alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they may include bulking agents that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

If the label states about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite testing done by other companies, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is inferior?

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