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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a supermarket was offering a new product collection that appeared akin to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper dashed to her local shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold top of each items look noticeably similar. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent study.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly options to high-end products. They typically have similar labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Better'

Skincare experts argue some alternatives to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably more effective," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget product line is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," notes a podcast host, who presents a show with famous people.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

But the specialists also suggest buyers check details and state that costlier items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - at times the higher cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to produce the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she notes.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they may have filler ingredients that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Expert Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

She says these probably have been subjected to comprehensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to support it, "however the brand does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by other brands, she adds.

Read the Back of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the back of the tube are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up