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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out a supermarket was selling a fresh beauty line that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her local outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue tube and gold lid of both items look noticeably alike. Although she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established companies and offer cost-effective substitutes to luxury products. They frequently have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals argue many substitutes to luxury labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily more effective," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a program with public figures.

Many of the products inspired by luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the experts also recommend shoppers check details and note that costlier items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and advertising - at times the increased price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology used to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert notes.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they could include bulking agents that do not provide as numerous benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to evaluate how effective they are.

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

If the label makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to verify it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively cite studies done by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up