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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was offering a new skincare range that looked comparable to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue container and gold top of each items look strikingly comparable. And though she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established labels and offer cost-effective options to luxury items. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals contend some alternatives to high-end brands are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion more expensive is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast about public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "These items will perform the essentials to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when searching for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the experts also advise buyers do their research and state that costlier items are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just covering the label and promotion - at times the higher cost also stems from the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science utilized to create the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she says it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain bulking agents that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For potent items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises selecting research-backed companies.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to costly trials to determine how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it must have research to support it, "however the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence done by other firms, she says.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

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