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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was offering a recent product collection that looked comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of each products look remarkably comparable. While Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK buyers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known brands and provide cost-effective substitutes to luxury items. They often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend some dupes to premium labels are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably superior," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all budget skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a program featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also advise buyers check details and note that more expensive items are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - often the elevated price tag also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist she says it's worth considering how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she states they could include filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he warned.

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Regarding advanced items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises using more specialised brands.

The expert says these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence completed by other companies, she adds.

Check the Label of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the back of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up