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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was launching a new beauty line that seemed akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of the two creams look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy well-known labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts say many dupes to luxury labels are good quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably better," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a show featuring public figures.

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

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient 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 something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the experts also advise shoppers check details and state that costlier products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only covering the name and promotion - at times the higher price also is due to the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research utilized to produce the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist she suggests it's valuable considering how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they could include filler ingredients that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he cautioned.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends selecting medical-grade companies.

She says these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the item, it requires data to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence done by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up