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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was selling a new skincare range that seemed comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

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

Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly alike. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

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

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established companies and offer cost-effective alternatives to premium products. These products often have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue many alternatives to luxury labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily superior," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring public figures.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the experts also advise shoppers investigate and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just funding the label and marketing - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the formula and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science employed to create the product, and trials into the item's performance, the expert notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they might have filler ingredients that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends selecting medical-grade labels.

She explains these probably have been subjected to expensive studies to determine how successful they are.

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

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively use studies completed by other firms, she adds.

Check the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up