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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a discounter was selling a new product collection that appeared comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two creams look noticeably similar. Although Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established labels and present affordable options to high-end products. They often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue some dupes to luxury labels are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think more expensive is always superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast featuring public figures.

Numerous of the items based on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

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

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the specialists also suggest buyers investigate and note that costlier items are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science employed to create the item, and tests into the products' performance, the expert says.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they might contain filler ingredients that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting research-backed brands.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to support it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use testing conducted by different companies, she says.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could suggest a product is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the container are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up