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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a recent product collection that looked akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of each creams look remarkably similar. Although Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are skincare products that copy well-known brands and present affordable substitutes to luxury items. These products typically have alike labels and design, but occasionally the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals contend some alternatives to premium brands are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program with public figures.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

However the specialists also recommend shoppers check details and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the item, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth questioning how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include bulking agents that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends using research-backed companies.

She says these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it needs research to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite testing conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up