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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was offering a fresh product collection that seemed akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue container and gold cap of the two items look remarkably similar. While Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44% among younger adults, as per a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate well-known brands and present cost-effective alternatives to luxury products. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts argue some alternatives to luxury labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily more effective," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show with public figures.

Many of the items modeled on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

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

"These products will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest buyers check details and say that more expensive items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the higher cost also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research used to create the item, and tests into the products' performance, she says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's worth questioning how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may have bulking agents that lack as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

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

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

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Regarding advanced products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting research-backed brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the performance 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 cite evidence done by different companies, she says.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up