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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was launching a fresh beauty line that seemed similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her local outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold lid of the two products look noticeably comparable. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic established companies and offer cost-effective options to premium items. These products typically have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts say many alternatives to premium brands are good standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show featuring public figures.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend buyers do their research and state that more expensive items are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - at times the elevated price also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research used to create the product, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist another professional suggests it's important thinking about how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could contain bulking agents that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises using research-backed companies.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it needs research to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence conducted by other firms, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up