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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard a discounter was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of both items look remarkably comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and present cost-effective alternatives to high-end items. They frequently have alike labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue some alternatives to premium brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion costlier is always more effective," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about public figures.

Many of the products based on luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the professionals also advise consumers do their research and state that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - often the increased price tag also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's important considering how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they could contain bulking agents that lack as significant advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a established label but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using research-backed labels.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing done by other firms, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up