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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her local shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold top of both products look noticeably similar. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recent study.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and offer affordable options to premium items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say some dupes to luxury labels are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the specialists also advise shoppers check details and say that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just funding the name and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to develop the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they might include bulking agents that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Expert Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to more specialised companies.

The expert explains these probably have been through comprehensive studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have data to verify it, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Components on the back of the tube are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up