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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of the two products look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic well-known labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products frequently have similar labels and design, but sometimes the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts argue certain substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show about public figures.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest buyers investigate and state that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased cost also comes from the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the research employed to develop the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, she notes.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's important considering how some alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might contain less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he warned.

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting medical-grade brands.

The expert says these will likely have been through expensive studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it must have research to support it, "but the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by other firms, she adds.

Read the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up