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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that looked comparable to products from premium company 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 tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold top of the two creams look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and offer affordable options to high-end products. These products often have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend certain dupes to premium brands are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the professionals also advise shoppers investigate and state that costlier items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the label and marketing - often the elevated cost also stems from the formula and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the science employed to develop the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert says.

Skin therapist she argues it's important considering how some alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she says they might include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The key question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he warned.

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For potent products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using research-backed brands.

She states these probably have been through expensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it needs research to support it, "however the seller does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by other companies, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the tube are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up