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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that appeared comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both products look noticeably alike. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say many alternatives to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a show about public figures.

Numerous of the products based on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend shoppers do their research and state that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and promotion - at times the increased price also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the research used to produce the product, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth considering how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they may have bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using medical-grade companies.

She says these probably have been subjected to expensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up