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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy well-known brands and provide affordable options to high-end items. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts say certain dupes to premium brands are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show with famous people.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the experts also recommend buyers check details and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not just covering the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price also comes from the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the science employed to develop the item, and trials into the item's efficacy, the expert explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth considering how some alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they may have bulking agents that lack as numerous benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using medical-grade brands.

She says these probably have been through expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the label advertises about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference testing conducted by other brands, she says.

Check the Label of the Container

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

Components on the back of the bottle are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up