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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a discounter was selling a new product collection that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly comparable. And though she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

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

Over a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and offer affordable alternatives to luxury items. They often have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists say certain substitutes to premium brands are good quality and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is always more effective," states skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a podcast host, who hosts a podcast about celebrities.

Many of the products based on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's very little that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the professionals also advise shoppers check details and state that costlier products are at times worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and advertising - sometimes the elevated price also comes from the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the science used to produce the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they may have less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For potent items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

The expert explains these will likely have been through expensive tests to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to verify it, "however the brand does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead reference evidence conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Check the Label of the Pack

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

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