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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a fresh skincare range that looked similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of the two items look strikingly similar. And though Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known labels and present affordable substitutes to premium items. These products typically have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists contend many dupes to high-end brands are decent standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is necessarily better," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a show with famous people.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end brands "disappear so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the basics to a reasonable level."

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

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in using a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the professionals also recommend buyers check details and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With premium skincare, you're not only funding the name and advertising - at times the higher price also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the science used to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Beauty expert another professional says it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they might include filler ingredients that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding potent items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises using medical-grade companies.

The expert explains these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how efficacious they are.

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

If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite studies conducted by other brands, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up