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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned a discounter was selling a fresh skincare range that looked akin to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her closest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of the two items look noticeably comparable. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recent study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name labels and present affordable substitutes to high-end items. These products often have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue some substitutes to high-end labels are good quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a show with famous people.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the professionals also suggest consumers do their research and state that more expensive items are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the name and marketing - at times the elevated cost also stems from the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, she explains.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they may include filler ingredients that don't have as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests using more specialised labels.

The expert explains these typically have been through expensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the item, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use studies done by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up