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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that seemed similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her nearest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold cap of each products look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and present cost-effective options to high-end items. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare professionals contend some dupes to luxury labels are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably better," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program with celebrities.

Numerous of the products modeled on luxury brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest buyers investigate and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not just funding the label and marketing - sometimes the elevated price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to produce the item, and studies into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

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

In some cases, she states they may include bulking agents that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade labels.

She says these will likely have been through costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the efficacy of the item, it requires evidence to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference evidence completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up