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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both items look remarkably comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

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

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established labels and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end items. They often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend some alternatives to high-end brands are decent standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the experts also advise shoppers investigate and say that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the name and promotion - at times the increased cost also comes from the components and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science utilized to produce the item, and tests into the products' performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might have bulking agents that don't have as many advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

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

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For advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting research-backed labels.

The expert states these probably have been through costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the performance of the item, it must have evidence to support it, "however the seller does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference studies completed by different companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up