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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a supermarket was offering a fresh product collection that looked comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest store to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of each creams look strikingly comparable. And though she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end items. They often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Beauty specialists argue some alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always superior," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about public figures.

Many of the items modeled on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest consumers check details and state that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - often the higher cost also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science utilized to create the product, and studies into the products' performance, the expert notes.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they might include less effective components that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert Scott says sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends sticking to research-backed companies.

She explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how successful they are.

Beauty products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it needs data to support it, "however the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence done by different companies, she says.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up