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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that seemed akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her local outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue container and gold cap of each products look noticeably alike. And though she has not used the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK buyers say they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established labels and present affordable alternatives to premium items. They frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend some dupes to premium labels are reasonable standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always better," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a program with famous people.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

However the experts also advise consumers do their research and say that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the label and promotion - often the elevated price also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to produce the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they may include less effective components that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he warned.

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For potent items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting more specialised labels.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to back it up, "but the seller does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by other firms, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Is there any components that could signal a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up