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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a fresh beauty line that seemed comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two creams look strikingly alike. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, according to a February poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic established companies and offer budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. These products typically have alike labels and design, but occasionally the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare specialists contend many substitutes to luxury brands are good quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

But the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only covering the name and marketing - often the elevated price tag also comes from the components and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the technology utilized to produce the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the original".

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

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For advanced items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade labels.

She states these probably have been subjected to comprehensive trials to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company advertises about the efficacy of the item, it requires data to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different brands, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up