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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was selling a fresh beauty line that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate established labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say many substitutes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," notes a podcast host, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the experts also advise buyers check details and note that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and marketing - at times the increased price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science employed to produce the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, she says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they may have bulking agents that do not provide as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using medical-grade companies.

The expert says these typically have been through expensive trials to assess how successful they are.

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

When the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it must have evidence to back it up, "however the seller does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite testing completed by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up