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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was offering a recent product collection that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of both items look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and offer affordable substitutes to high-end items. They typically have similar labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts say many substitutes to premium brands are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion more expensive is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a show with famous people.

A lot of of the items based on luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the professionals also recommend shoppers investigate and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the name and marketing - often the elevated price also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the science utilized to produce the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert she says it's important considering how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they may have filler ingredients that don't have as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting medical-grade labels.

She states these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how effective they are.

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

If the company states about the performance of the product, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead reference studies done by other companies, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up