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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was selling a fresh product collection that seemed comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue container and gold cap of the two items look strikingly alike. And though she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK buyers say they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals contend many substitutes to luxury labels are reasonable standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast about public figures.

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

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is quite inexpensive because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the experts also advise consumers investigate and note that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - often the higher price tag also comes from the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the science utilized to develop the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, she notes.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they might include bulking agents that do not provide as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert states these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how effective they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use studies conducted by other companies, she says.

Examine the Back of the Container

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

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up