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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard Aldi was offering a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her nearest outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of the two creams look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, according to a February poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide affordable alternatives to high-end products. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many dupes to premium brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably more effective," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable product line is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers check details and state that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - at times the elevated price tag also is due to the components and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to produce the product, and trials into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they might include bulking agents that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One major question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using medical-grade labels.

She states these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the brand states about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to verify it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference testing conducted by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up