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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a recent skincare range that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her local outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look remarkably comparable. While Rachael has not used the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly options to high-end items. They typically have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts say many alternatives to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably better," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a show featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or something which is very affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

However the experts also suggest shoppers do their research and say that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - often the increased price also comes from the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the science used to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert she argues it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they might include filler ingredients that don't have as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be sold by the packaging," he added.

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she suggests sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the product, it requires research to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference testing completed by other firms, she says.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up