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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that seemed akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her local store to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The sleek blue container and gold cap of the two items look remarkably comparable. While she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic bigger name labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. They often have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend some alternatives to high-end brands are reasonable quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always more effective," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all budget skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the specialists also advise buyers check details and say that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the name and advertising - at times the elevated price tag also stems from the formula and their quality, the strength of the key component, the technology used to produce the item, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist she argues it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may contain less effective components that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using research-backed brands.

The expert explains these typically have been through costly trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to support it, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite evidence conducted by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up