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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper found out a supermarket was launching a new product collection that appeared comparable to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her local outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of both products look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. They often have alike labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say certain dupes to luxury labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will do the basics to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the professionals also recommend buyers investigate and state that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - at times the increased price tag also comes from the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the research utilized to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's valuable thinking about how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she states they may include less effective components that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

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

Podcast host McGlynn says sometimes he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established brand but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests sticking to research-backed companies.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to costly studies to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to support it, "however the seller doesn't always have to do the testing" and can instead cite studies done by other companies, she adds.

Read the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up