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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a recent beauty line that looked similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of both creams look strikingly similar. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known labels and provide affordable substitutes to premium products. These products frequently have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals argue certain dupes to high-end labels are good standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is always superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast with famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If 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 quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also recommend consumers investigate and say that more expensive items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and advertising - sometimes the elevated cost also is due to the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science employed to create the item, and studies into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's important considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they could contain filler ingredients that lack as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The big doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he added.

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to costly tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence done by other firms, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the label of the container are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up