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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a supermarket was offering a new product collection that seemed comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly similar. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals contend certain alternatives to high-end brands are reasonable standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that more expensive is invariably better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will do the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and note that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the name and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to create the product, and trials into the item's performance, she says.

Beauty expert she argues it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they might include filler ingredients that don't have as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to more specialised labels.

She explains these probably have been through expensive trials to evaluate how effective they are.

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

When the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference studies done by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a product is inferior?

Components on the back of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up