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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a new beauty line that looked similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her closest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of both items look strikingly similar. Although Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name labels and provide cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue certain alternatives to high-end brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a podcast about celebrities.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the experts also suggest shoppers do their research and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated cost also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, she notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's important considering how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they may have bulking agents that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the container," he warned.

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting more specialised labels.

She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to back it up, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use evidence done by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up