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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a supermarket was launching a new beauty line that seemed akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of the two items look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and provide cost-effective alternatives to premium products. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend many dupes to luxury brands are good standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend buyers check details and say that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - often the higher price also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the technology employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist she suggests it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they might have bulking agents that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

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

Expert Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises selecting medical-grade companies.

She says these probably have been through expensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

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

When the company makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can instead use testing completed by different brands, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the list of the container are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up