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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was launching a fresh beauty line that appeared akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her nearest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue container and gold cap of each products look remarkably alike. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and present cost-effective substitutes to luxury items. These products frequently have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists say some substitutes to high-end labels are reasonable quality and assist make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program about public figures.

A lot of of the items based on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the specialists also suggest shoppers investigate and state that higher-priced products are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and promotion - often the elevated price tag also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research employed to produce the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could contain bulking agents that lack as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using more specialised brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to costly trials to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the item, it needs research to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively cite studies completed by different companies, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is inferior?

Components on the list of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up