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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out a discounter was selling a new skincare range that appeared comparable to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of the two items look remarkably similar. Although Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy established labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. They often have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists say certain alternatives to high-end brands are decent standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a show featuring famous people.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "run out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will do the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

But the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the higher price also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to develop the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they may contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated products or those with components that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert states these probably have been through comprehensive tests to determine how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the efficacy of the item, it requires research to verify it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite studies completed by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the tube are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up