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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard a discounter was offering a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of the two items look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. These products often have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts argue certain dupes to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily better," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

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

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

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend shoppers check details and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - often the elevated price also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to produce the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist she argues it's worth considering how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they might have less effective components that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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For more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using more specialised labels.

The expert says these will likely have been through comprehensive studies to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company makes claims about the performance of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing done by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up