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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a supermarket was offering a recent skincare range that looked comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The sleek blue packaging and gold top of each products look remarkably comparable. And though she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44% among younger adults, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and provide affordable substitutes to premium items. These products often have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals say many alternatives to high-end labels are reasonable quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily superior," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget product line is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also advise shoppers investigate and note that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - often the elevated price tag also stems from the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the research used to create the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she says it's important thinking about how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For potent items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using research-backed brands.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead use testing conducted by different brands, she adds.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up