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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a discounter was selling a recent skincare range that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The smooth blue container and gold lid of the two products look remarkably similar. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's impressed by the product so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy bigger name companies and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. These products often have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts contend certain alternatives to high-end labels are decent standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable beauty label is bad - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a show with public figures.

Numerous of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

But the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and say that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the components and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the research utilized to develop the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's important considering how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might include bulking agents that do not provide as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using more specialised labels.

She explains these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it requires research to support it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference studies done by other firms, she says.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up