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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue container and gold top of each creams look remarkably similar. And though she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established brands and present cost-effective alternatives to premium items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue many dupes to premium brands are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily better," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products based on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the experts also advise buyers do their research and say that more expensive items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only covering the label and promotion - at times the increased price also stems from the formula and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to create the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, she explains.

Skin therapist she suggests it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they might include less effective components that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn says in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends selecting medical-grade companies.

The expert explains these typically have been through costly tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the label makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by different brands, she clarifies.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a item is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up