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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was launching a new product collection that appeared comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its sleek blue container and gold top of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established brands and present cost-effective options to premium products. They frequently have similar labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts say certain alternatives to high-end brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," comments dermatology expert one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program with celebrities.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

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

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or something which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the professionals also recommend buyers do their research and note that more expensive items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only covering the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to develop the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they might have filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he added.

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For more complicated items or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the seller doesn't always have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite testing completed by other brands, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up