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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her nearest outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

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

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate established brands and offer cost-effective options to high-end products. They often have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals argue certain dupes to premium labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast about celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the experts also recommend consumers do their research and say that more expensive items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - at times the higher price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the strength of the key component, the science utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's performance, she says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may include less effective components that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The major question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding advanced items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to medical-grade brands.

The expert explains these typically have been through costly tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires research to back it up, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence done by different firms, she adds.

Check the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the list of the container are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up