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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was selling a fresh product collection that looked akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of each items look noticeably alike. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name companies and present affordable substitutes to luxury items. These products frequently have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend certain dupes to premium labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably more effective," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget product line is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a podcast host, who hosts a show with famous people.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the professionals also suggest consumers investigate and note that more expensive products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - often the increased cost also stems from the components and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they could contain filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert explains these probably have been through expensive studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires research to verify it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies done by different companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up