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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was launching a new product collection that looked comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold top of each items look noticeably similar. While she has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic established companies and present cost-effective alternatives to premium items. They often have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals contend some alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is always superior," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast about famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

But the experts also suggest consumers do their research and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and marketing - sometimes the higher price tag also is due to the components and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they may contain filler ingredients that lack as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises selecting medical-grade companies.

The expert says these will likely have been through expensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have research to support it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead reference testing done by other companies, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up