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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was offering a recent skincare range that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look remarkably similar. And though Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established brands and offer budget-friendly options to premium items. They typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts argue many alternatives to high-end brands are good standard and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably better," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not every low-budget product line is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a show about famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the professionals also advise buyers do their research and note that costlier products are at times worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the name and marketing - often the higher price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the research employed to produce the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important considering how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

She says these probably have been through comprehensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the performance of the product, it must have data to support it, "however the seller doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use studies conducted by different companies, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

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

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