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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was launching a new product collection that seemed similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of both items look remarkably alike. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and offer cost-effective substitutes to luxury products. These products typically have alike labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend many substitutes to premium brands are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

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

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program about celebrities.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the experts also suggest consumers check details and say that costlier products are sometimes worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and advertising - often the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the science utilized to create the item, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth considering how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they could have bulking agents that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

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For more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using research-backed labels.

The expert explains these probably have been subjected to expensive trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, says expert another professional.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have data to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite evidence conducted by different brands, she clarifies.

Check the Label of the Container

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

Components on the list of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up