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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of the two creams look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known labels and present budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products typically have alike labels and design, but occasionally the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals contend many alternatives to high-end labels are good quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily better," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget beauty label is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a podcast host, who presents a program about celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the basics to a acceptable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the specialists also suggest buyers do their research and say that costlier items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not only paying for the name and promotion - often the higher cost also comes from the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's important questioning how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they could contain bulking agents that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she suggests using research-backed brands.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the label states about the performance of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite studies completed by different brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a item is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up