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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was launching a new product collection that appeared akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of both items look remarkably similar. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, based on a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name brands and offer cost-effective options to premium products. They often have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend many substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast about public figures.

Many of the items inspired by luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or a product which is very affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the specialists also recommend buyers investigate and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the name and advertising - often the elevated cost also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the product, and studies into the products' performance, she says.

Facialist she argues it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they may have less effective components that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends using medical-grade labels.

She states these probably have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to verify it, "but the seller doesn't always have to do the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up