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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was launching a new beauty line that appeared akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper dashed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold top of each products look remarkably comparable. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals contend certain alternatives to premium labels are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast with public figures.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

However the specialists also recommend buyers do their research and state that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the research utilized to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist another professional says it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they may have filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

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

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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Regarding advanced products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting more specialised brands.

The expert states these typically have been through costly tests to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs research to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite studies conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Are there any components that could indicate a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the container are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up