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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was selling a recent product collection that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her closest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of both products look noticeably similar. Although she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February study.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established labels and present budget-friendly options to high-end items. These products frequently have alike labels and design, but in some cases the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare experts argue some dupes to high-end labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily more effective," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable beauty label is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really impressive," notes a podcast host, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by high-end labels "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

However the professionals also advise buyers do their research and note that more expensive products are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the name and advertising - at times the increased cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain bulking agents that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a well-known label but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises selecting research-backed labels.

She says these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite testing completed by other companies, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a item is poor?

Ingredients on the list of the container are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up