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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was selling a new beauty line that appeared similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of both items look noticeably comparable. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and present cost-effective options to premium items. These products typically have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts argue certain alternatives to high-end brands are decent quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably more effective," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," adds a podcast host, who runs a program featuring famous people.

A lot of of the items based on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the experts also advise shoppers investigate and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and promotion - at times the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert another professional says it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they might include bulking agents that don't have as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced products or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using medical-grade brands.

The expert says these probably have been through comprehensive trials to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company makes claims about the performance of the product, it requires research to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite testing completed by different companies, she adds.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?

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