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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a discounter was offering a new skincare range that seemed similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its sleek blue tube and gold lid of both products look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy well-known brands and offer affordable alternatives to high-end products. These products frequently have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say certain dupes to high-end brands are decent standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not all premium skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a program featuring famous people.

Many of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the professionals also suggest buyers investigate and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and advertising - often the increased price tag also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the research employed to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, she says.

Beauty expert another professional says it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain filler ingredients that do not provide as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she recommends using more specialised labels.

She states these typically have been subjected to costly tests to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence completed by other companies, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a item is poor?

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up