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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a fresh product collection that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of both creams look noticeably alike. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK consumers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, according to a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate well-known brands and offer affordable substitutes to premium items. They typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to premium labels are good quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily superior," says skin specialist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest consumers investigate and state that costlier products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only funding the label and advertising - often the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the science used to produce the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

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

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to more specialised companies.

The expert explains these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

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

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively use evidence done by different companies, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up