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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that seemed akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of the two items look remarkably comparable. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate well-known labels and present cost-effective substitutes to premium products. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend many substitutes to premium labels are reasonable standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a program with famous people.

A lot of of the products based on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend consumers investigate and say that more expensive products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - often the higher cost also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth considering how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they could include filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he added.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests sticking to research-backed labels.

The expert says these probably have been through costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use testing completed by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up