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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was launching a recent skincare range that looked comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her closest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of each creams look remarkably alike. While Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established brands and offer affordable substitutes to premium items. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists say many alternatives to luxury brands are decent quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show with public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item 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 go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also recommend consumers do their research and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated cost also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the technology utilized to develop the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important questioning how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she says they might include bulking agents that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the brand does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up