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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that seemed similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her nearest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of the two products look noticeably alike. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly options to premium products. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue many dupes to premium brands are reasonable quality and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program featuring public figures.

Numerous of the items based on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the professionals also recommend consumers investigate and note that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the name and advertising - sometimes the elevated price also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the technology used to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, she explains.

Beauty expert she argues it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may include filler ingredients that don't have as many positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting research-backed labels.

The expert says these typically have been through costly trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have research to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence conducted by other firms, she adds.

Read the Back of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up