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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that looked comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of the two products look noticeably alike. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and present cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. They frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts say many dupes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always superior," comments consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the finest."

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

Many of the products modeled on luxury brands "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

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

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the experts also recommend shoppers do their research and note that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only covering the name and promotion - often the higher cost also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the science used to create the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert explains.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they could have filler ingredients that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

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

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he warned.

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For more complicated products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests selecting research-backed companies.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty products are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the performance of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up