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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh product collection that looked akin to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of both products look noticeably alike. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy well-known companies and offer affordable substitutes to premium items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals contend some substitutes to high-end brands are decent quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast about public figures.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "They will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the experts also recommend shoppers check details and note that more expensive items are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the name and marketing - sometimes the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to create the product, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they might include bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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For advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting more specialised labels.

She says these typically have been through costly studies to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the company makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have evidence to verify it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference studies done by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up