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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was launching a new product collection that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two items look noticeably comparable. And though she has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and offer affordable options to luxury items. They frequently have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts contend certain alternatives to luxury labels are decent standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show with public figures.

Many of the items based on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also recommend shoppers check details and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the label and marketing - often the increased price tag also stems from the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to create the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist another professional argues it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they could contain less effective components that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "no connection to the original".

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

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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises sticking to research-backed labels.

The expert says these will likely have been through expensive trials to determine how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies done by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could suggest a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up