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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard a supermarket was launching a new product collection that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look noticeably similar. While she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and present cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. They often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists argue many dupes to luxury labels are good quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is invariably better," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program with famous people.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is fairly affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the specialists also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive items are occasionally worth the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the name and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist she argues it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they might include bulking agents that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the label makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use studies done by different firms, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up