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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was selling a recent product collection that looked similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her nearest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of the two products look remarkably alike. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established companies and provide cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. These products frequently have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say certain substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast about public figures.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "They will do the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is very affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also suggest shoppers do their research and state that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology used to create the product, and tests into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests using research-backed companies.

The expert says these probably have been through costly trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the product, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing done by other brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any components that could suggest a item is inferior?

Components on the back of the container are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up