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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a supermarket was offering a new product collection that seemed akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of each items look strikingly similar. While Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and provide cost-effective options to high-end items. These products often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists contend certain dupes to premium labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program with celebrities.

A lot of of the products based on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also suggest buyers check details and note that costlier items are at times worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only paying for the name and marketing - at times the increased cost also comes from the formula and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert says these probably have been through costly studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it must have data to verify it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite testing done by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up