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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh product collection that looked akin to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

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

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and offer cost-effective options to high-end products. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals contend certain alternatives to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably superior," states skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a podcast host, who presents a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers investigate and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and promotion - often the elevated cost also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the research employed to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

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

Occasionally, she believes they could include filler ingredients that do not provide as many benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends selecting more specialised brands.

The expert explains these probably have been through costly studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the effectiveness of the item, it must have evidence to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite testing completed by different companies, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up