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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her local outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

The sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both items look strikingly similar. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists argue many substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will be effective," he explains. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

However the experts also suggest consumers investigate and state that costlier products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only covering the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the research employed to develop the item, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they might have bulking agents that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The major question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting research-backed brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it needs research to back it up, "however the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite studies completed by different companies, she says.

Read the Label of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

Ingredients on the list of the container are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up