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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was offering a new skincare range that looked similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of both items look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published study.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established brands and present affordable alternatives to high-end items. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Beauty specialists contend some dupes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," states skin specialist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," says a podcast host, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a acceptable standard."

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

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just funding the label and marketing - sometimes the elevated price tag also comes from the components and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology employed to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, she says.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's important questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they could have bulking agents that don't have as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The big doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For advanced items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends using more specialised companies.

She states these will likely have been through costly trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead cite studies completed by other firms, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the list of the container are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up