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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a discounter was offering a recent product collection that seemed akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her nearest store to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look strikingly comparable. And though she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

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

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February study.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and provide affordable alternatives to luxury items. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals contend many dupes to premium brands are decent standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is invariably better," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," adds a podcast host, who runs a program featuring famous people.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers check details and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not just funding the name and advertising - at times the increased cost also is due to the components and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science employed to develop the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, she explains.

Facialist she suggests it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they may have filler ingredients that don't have as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she suggests selecting more specialised labels.

The expert states these typically have been through expensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to back it up, "however the brand does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference evidence done by different companies, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up