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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was offering a recent product collection that seemed comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of the two items look noticeably similar. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established brands and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury products. They often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals say some alternatives to high-end labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably more effective," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

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

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the brand and promotion - at times the increased price also is due to the formula and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, she says.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to more specialised labels.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to costly trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

If the company states about the performance of the item, it needs data to support it, "but the brand doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use testing done by different firms, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Components on the list of the tube are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up