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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a supermarket was offering a recent skincare range that seemed akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its smooth blue tube and gold cap of the two items look strikingly alike. Although she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, according to a recent survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy well-known companies and offer cost-effective options to luxury products. They frequently have comparable labels and design, but occasionally the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a program with celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

But the professionals also advise shoppers check details and state that costlier products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - sometimes the increased price also comes from the formula and their standard, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to create the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, she says.

Skin therapist she suggests it's important questioning how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she says they might have bulking agents that don't have as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

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

Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she advises using medical-grade brands.

She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to determine how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it requires evidence to back it up, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead cite evidence done by other companies, she says.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up