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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard a discounter was selling a new skincare range that appeared akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her local store to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue tube and gold lid of the two creams look remarkably similar. While she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, as per a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts contend some dupes to premium brands are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a show about famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend buyers check details and note that higher-priced items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the label and promotion - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the components and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to create the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional suggests it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might contain less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests using more specialised brands.

She explains these probably have been subjected to costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have evidence to verify it, "but the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite studies completed by other brands, she says.

Read the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up