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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a recent product collection that seemed similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of each products look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established brands and present cost-effective options to luxury items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts contend some substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily better," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who hosts a podcast with famous people.

Many of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the specialists also suggest consumers check details and say that more expensive products are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their quality, the strength of the key component, the research used to create the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist she argues it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they could have less effective components that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The major question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Commentator McGlynn admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For potent products or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests using medical-grade companies.

The expert says these will likely have been through costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it needs research to verify it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead reference studies completed by different firms, she says.

Examine the Back of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up