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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a supermarket was offering a fresh skincare range that looked akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of both creams look strikingly alike. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established brands and present cost-effective substitutes to premium products. They often have similar labels and design, but occasionally the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare experts say many dupes to high-end brands are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably more effective," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show with public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the specialists also suggest consumers do their research and note that costlier items are sometimes worth the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the item, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they may have bulking agents that lack as significant positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be sold by the packaging," he warned.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends selecting medical-grade brands.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead use evidence conducted by different companies, she says.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up