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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a discounter was launching a new product collection that looked similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold cap of both items look remarkably similar. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly options to premium products. They frequently have similar labels and design, but in some cases the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists contend many dupes to premium brands are good quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just covering the label and advertising - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to create the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, she says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's important questioning how certain dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to more specialised labels.

She explains these typically have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the brand states about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to verify it, "however the seller does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively use studies done by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up