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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold lid of each products look noticeably alike. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK buyers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy bigger name labels and offer cost-effective options to luxury products. They often have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals argue some alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

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

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend shoppers do their research and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only funding the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology employed to produce the product, and tests into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's important questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might include filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises using research-backed companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use evidence conducted by different firms, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could suggest a item is poor?

Components on the list of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up