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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer learned a discounter was offering a recent beauty line that seemed similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her closest store to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold top of the two items look remarkably alike. And though she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established companies and present affordable options to premium items. They typically have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals contend many dupes to luxury brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily more effective," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable product line is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," adds a podcast host, who presents a show featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest consumers do their research and say that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the research employed to develop the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's important questioning how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they may include bulking agents that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn says sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

She explains these will likely have been through expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite evidence done by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up