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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that seemed comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two creams look noticeably comparable. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February study.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established labels and present cost-effective options to luxury products. They often have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare professionals argue some alternatives to high-end labels are decent quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily superior," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the experts also suggest shoppers do their research and state that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only funding the name and advertising - at times the increased price tag also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the research employed to develop the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they may have filler ingredients that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For potent 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 brands.

The expert states these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label states about the effectiveness of the product, it must have evidence to support it, "however the brand does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence completed by other companies, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any components that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the container are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up