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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold top of the two items look strikingly alike. And though Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic bigger name companies and offer affordable options to premium products. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue some substitutes to luxury labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a program about celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the experts also advise buyers investigate and say that more expensive items are sometimes worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and promotion - sometimes the increased price also comes from the components and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the research utilized to develop the item, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they may contain bulking agents that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises selecting medical-grade brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the efficacy of the item, it must have research to support it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead use studies completed by different firms, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up