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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a supermarket was selling a fresh product collection that seemed akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her local shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of both items look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic bigger name brands and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. These products often have similar labels and design, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare specialists argue certain dupes to high-end brands are good standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will perform the essentials to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest consumers investigate and state that more expensive items are at times worth the extra money.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the name and advertising - at times the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the product, and trials into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist she suggests it's worth considering how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might have less effective components that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises sticking to research-backed companies.

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

Beauty items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the brand does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up