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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a supermarket was selling a recent beauty line that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her nearest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of both creams look remarkably similar. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

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

Over a 25% of UK buyers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals contend certain dupes to high-end labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show about famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury labels "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

However the specialists also suggest shoppers check details and say that costlier products are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only funding the name and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology employed to produce the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, she explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they may have bulking agents that don't have as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using more specialised labels.

She says these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to support it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead reference evidence done by different brands, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up