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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that looked comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of each items look remarkably comparable. Although Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide affordable options to luxury items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals say certain alternatives to premium brands are good standard and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast featuring public figures.

Many of the items based on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the professionals also suggest consumers check details and note that more expensive items are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the label and promotion - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the technology used to produce the product, and tests into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable considering how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they could include bulking agents that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

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

Commentator Scott notes sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he added.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using research-backed companies.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to support it, "but the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other firms, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Components on the list of the tube are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up