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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was offering a new beauty line that seemed similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue container and gold cap of both items look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy established labels and provide budget-friendly options to luxury items. These products frequently have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists say certain dupes to premium labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always superior," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the essentials to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the experts also suggest consumers check details and state that more expensive products are at times worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and marketing - sometimes the higher price tag also stems from the components and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the technology employed to create the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's important considering how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they might have bulking agents that don't have as significant positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

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

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to medical-grade labels.

She explains these typically have been through comprehensive tests to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to support it, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up