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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was offering a new product collection that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly comparable. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name labels and provide cost-effective alternatives to high-end items. These products typically have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals argue certain substitutes to luxury brands are decent standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is always more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly excellent," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a show about famous people.

Many of the products modeled on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

However the specialists also recommend shoppers check details and note that higher-priced products are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to create the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they could have bulking agents that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For more complicated products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises using research-backed companies.

The expert says these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the label advertises about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the brand does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively cite testing completed by other brands, she adds.

Read the Label of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up