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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that looked similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue tube and gold cap of the two items look noticeably alike. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established companies and provide affordable substitutes to premium products. They typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts argue certain dupes to luxury brands are good quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," comments dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show with public figures.

Numerous of the products based on luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the professionals also recommend buyers investigate and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not only covering the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased price also comes from the formula and their standard, the potency of the key component, the science employed to create the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they could have bulking agents that do not provide as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he warned.

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For advanced products or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting research-backed companies.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to costly tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other firms, she says.

Read the Label of the Pack

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

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up