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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was launching a fresh skincare range that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her local outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue container and gold cap of the two creams look strikingly similar. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

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

More than a fourth of UK shoppers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate bigger name brands and present cost-effective substitutes to premium products. These products typically have alike labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals say some substitutes to premium labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program featuring public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the professionals also suggest consumers do their research and note that costlier items are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not just covering the name and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to produce the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they may include bulking agents that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he added.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises using research-backed companies.

She states these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it must have evidence to verify it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference studies done by other companies, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up