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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was selling a new skincare range that looked similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her closest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of each creams look remarkably similar. While Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic bigger name companies and provide cost-effective substitutes to luxury items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend some substitutes to luxury brands are decent quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who presents a program featuring public figures.

Many of the items based on luxury labels "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the specialists also advise shoppers check details and note that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not only covering the name and advertising - at times the elevated price tag also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research employed to develop the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she argues it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they might have filler ingredients that don't have as many positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he added.

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For more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate suggests using more specialised labels.

The expert states these will likely have been through comprehensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively cite evidence done by other firms, she says.

Check the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the container are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up