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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was offering a new product collection that seemed comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of both products look strikingly alike. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that copy established companies and provide affordable substitutes to premium products. They typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably superior," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will be effective," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend consumers do their research and note that costlier products are at times worth the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to create the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might include filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests using more specialised companies.

She states these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the company advertises about the performance of the product, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference testing completed by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the container are arranged by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up