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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was offering a fresh product collection that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its smooth blue container and gold cap of each creams look noticeably comparable. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established companies and offer cost-effective substitutes to luxury items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists argue certain dupes to luxury brands are good quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is always superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about famous people.

Many of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

However the experts also suggest buyers do their research and note that costlier items are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist another professional suggests it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they may contain less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a well-known label but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

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For potent items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends using medical-grade companies.

She explains these will likely have been through expensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead reference evidence done by other brands, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up