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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a new beauty line that seemed akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold top of each items look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and present budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. These products typically have similar labels and design, but occasionally the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals say many dupes to luxury brands are good quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget product line is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.

Numerous of the items based on luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the professionals also suggest buyers do their research and say that more expensive items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - sometimes the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the effective element, the technology used to create the item, and tests into the item's performance, she says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's valuable considering how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they might contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he warned.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises sticking to medical-grade brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the label states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to back it up, "however the brand doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead cite studies conducted by different firms, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Container

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

Components on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up