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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard Aldi was launching a recent product collection that looked comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her closest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of both products look remarkably alike. While Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established companies and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists say many alternatives to luxury labels are good quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is always better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a program with famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will handle the essentials to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is very affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

But the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that costlier items are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and promotion - at times the elevated price tag also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the science used to develop the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they might contain bulking agents that lack as numerous benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she advises sticking to medical-grade companies.

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

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to back it up, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference studies conducted by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up