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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a recent product collection that seemed comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of each creams look remarkably comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK consumers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that copy established companies and provide affordable alternatives to premium products. They typically have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts argue some alternatives to premium labels are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always better," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring public figures.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end labels "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the experts also advise buyers investigate and state that more expensive items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the name and advertising - often the higher price also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the key component, the research used to create the item, and trials into the products' performance, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist she argues it's worth questioning how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they might include bulking agents that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive studies to determine how successful they are.

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

If the brand advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to support it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by different brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up