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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of the two creams look remarkably alike. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists say many alternatives to high-end labels are decent quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily superior," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who hosts a program with public figures.

Numerous of the products inspired by luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

However the specialists also recommend buyers check details and state that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and promotion - at times the increased cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, she explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they may have bulking agents that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

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

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For advanced items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting more specialised labels.

The expert states these probably have been through expensive trials to determine how successful they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

If the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence completed by different firms, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up