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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was launching a recent product collection that appeared similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold cap of each items look strikingly similar. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. They often have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists argue certain substitutes to luxury labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a podcast host, who presents a program featuring public figures.

Numerous of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the professionals also recommend shoppers check details and say that more expensive items are at times worth the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased cost also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert says.

Beauty expert she says it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they could contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises selecting research-backed labels.

The expert explains these probably have been subjected to expensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the product, it requires research to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the trials" and can instead use evidence conducted by other brands, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up