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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue tube and gold top of both items look strikingly comparable. While she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44% among younger adults, based on a recent poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name labels and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. They typically have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals contend certain dupes to luxury labels are reasonable standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a program about famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the specialists also recommend buyers check details and say that costlier items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - often the higher price also stems from the formula and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science used to develop the item, and studies into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they could have less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For potent items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting research-backed brands.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to verify it, "however the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can instead cite evidence completed by other companies, she says.

Check the Back of the Container

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

Components on the back of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up