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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was selling a new product collection that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to buy the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold cap of each items look remarkably comparable. While she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and offer cost-effective options to high-end products. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals contend some alternatives to premium brands are decent standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items based on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also advise shoppers investigate and state that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only funding the brand and marketing - often the increased price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable questioning how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they could include bulking agents that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

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

Expert Scott says sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For potent items or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises using research-backed brands.

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

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the item, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't always have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite studies done by other companies, she says.

Check the Label of the Container

Are there any components that could signal a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up