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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was offering a recent product collection that looked akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her local store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both products look strikingly alike. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and provide cost-effective options to premium items. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the professionals also advise buyers do their research and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - sometimes the increased price also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the research used to create the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, she notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's important questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they might include bulking agents that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests using research-backed brands.

She states these will likely have been subjected to costly studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead use studies done by other brands, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up