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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was launching a fresh beauty line that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold top of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

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

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and present budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Skincare experts argue many dupes to luxury labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily superior," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast with famous people.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end brands "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the experts also advise consumers investigate and note that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - at times the increased cost also stems from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's performance, she notes.

Beauty expert she says it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they might include bulking agents that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade companies.

She states these typically have been through expensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite studies completed by other firms, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up