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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer learned a supermarket was launching a recent beauty line that appeared similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of both products look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published poll.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists argue many dupes to luxury brands are good quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is always more effective," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show with public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the professionals also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and promotion - often the higher price also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology used to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, the expert explains.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they may contain less effective components that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator McGlynn notes sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the original".

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

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For more complicated products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises selecting research-backed labels.

The expert explains these probably have been through expensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

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

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to verify it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead use evidence done by other firms, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could signal a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up