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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a discounter was launching a new product collection that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and offer budget-friendly substitutes to luxury products. These products frequently have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals say certain dupes to premium labels are good quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program featuring famous people.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers check details and say that costlier items are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - at times the increased price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the science used to produce the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, the expert says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they may contain bulking agents that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

She says these will likely have been through comprehensive trials to determine how effective they are.

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

When the company advertises about the performance of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite studies completed by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up