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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that seemed akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of both products look remarkably comparable. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers state they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a February study.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy well-known brands and provide cost-effective alternatives to premium products. These products typically have similar labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend many substitutes to high-end brands are good quality and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a show with celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the specialists also suggest consumers do their research and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the label and marketing - often the elevated price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, the expert explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they may include filler ingredients that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert Scott says sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how successful they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference studies done by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Components on the label of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up