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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a discounter was launching a fresh product collection that seemed comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold cap of the two products look strikingly comparable. While she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established labels and present affordable alternatives to premium products. They often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists argue certain substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a show featuring famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

However the specialists also suggest buyers investigate and say that costlier products are at times worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the increased cost also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology employed to create the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional says it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they could include less effective components that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert explains these probably have been subjected to comprehensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead use evidence done by other firms, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up