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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a discounter was selling a recent product collection that seemed comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue tube and gold lid of each creams look remarkably alike. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK consumers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent poll.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic well-known brands and offer budget-friendly options to high-end products. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals say many dupes to high-end labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a show about celebrities.

Many of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the professionals also advise shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - at times the increased price tag also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the science used to create the item, and trials into the products' performance, the expert says.

Beauty expert she argues it's important considering how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they could have filler ingredients that lack as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For potent items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using more specialised companies.

The expert explains these typically have been through costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

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

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively use testing completed by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up