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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was launching a recent skincare range that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of each items look remarkably alike. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name brands and provide affordable substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts say many dupes to premium brands are reasonable quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every affordable skincare brand is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program with famous people.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend buyers investigate and state that more expensive products are occasionally worth the extra money.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - often the increased price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the technology employed to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they could have bulking agents that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The major question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting medical-grade brands.

She explains these probably have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively use studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up