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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold top of both creams look strikingly similar. And though Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known brands and present affordable options to luxury items. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to luxury brands are decent quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily superior," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget skincare brand is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products inspired by high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also suggest buyers investigate and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only covering the label and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the products' effectiveness, she says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they could have bulking agents that don't have as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

The expert explains these probably have been through comprehensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company states about the performance of the product, it requires data to back it up, "however the brand does not always have to do the trials" and can instead use studies conducted by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up