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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was launching a fresh beauty line that appeared similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her local store to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of each products look noticeably alike. While Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

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

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy well-known companies and provide budget-friendly options to premium items. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts say certain substitutes to high-end brands are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily superior," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget product line is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about public figures.

Many of the items based on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "They will handle the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend consumers do their research and say that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just funding the name and marketing - sometimes the elevated cost also comes from the components and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert says.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable thinking about how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises sticking to more specialised labels.

She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite evidence completed by other brands, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up