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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard a supermarket was selling a recent product collection that looked akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold cap of both creams look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and provide cost-effective alternatives to premium items. These products often have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts say certain dupes to premium labels are reasonable quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a program featuring famous people.

Many of the products based on luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when searching for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the specialists also advise buyers check details and state that more expensive items are sometimes worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and advertising - at times the increased price tag also stems from the components and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to develop the item, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist she suggests it's important questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they could include less effective components that don't have as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade labels.

She states these will likely have been through expensive tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to support it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use testing done by other brands, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Container

Are there any components that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the list of the container are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up