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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was offering a new beauty line that looked akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her closest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

Its smooth blue tube and gold top of each products look strikingly alike. While she has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a recently published survey.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established companies and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products frequently have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to high-end labels are good standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every luxury beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a podcast host, who runs a program about famous people.

Many of the items inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will do the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest buyers check details and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - at times the elevated price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science utilized to produce the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, she explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable considering how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they may include less effective components that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

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

Podcast host McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he warned.

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to research-backed labels.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it must have evidence to verify it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference evidence completed by different companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Container

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

Components on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up