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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a supermarket was offering a fresh product collection that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic well-known brands and offer budget-friendly options to luxury products. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts contend some dupes to high-end labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a podcast host, who runs a podcast about famous people.

Many of the products inspired by luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

However the experts also recommend buyers investigate and state that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not just funding the name and promotion - often the increased price tag also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the technology employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist another professional says it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they could include bulking agents that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One major doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises using medical-grade brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

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

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires research to verify it, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence conducted by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Components on the list of the container are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up