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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard a discounter was offering a fresh product collection that appeared akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold lid of each creams look noticeably similar. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

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

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic bigger name labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to premium items. These products frequently have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists argue some alternatives to high-end brands are decent quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is poor - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program about celebrities.

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

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend buyers investigate and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the brand and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the key component, the science used to create the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she says it's worth considering how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could contain filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One major question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For advanced items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends selecting more specialised companies.

She explains these will likely have been through costly studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up