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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was offering a fresh skincare range that looked comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold cap of both items look remarkably comparable. And though Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name companies and present cost-effective alternatives to premium items. They frequently have similar labels and design, but sometimes the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare specialists contend many dupes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a podcast host, who hosts a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the experts also advise shoppers do their research and note that higher-priced products are at times worth the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the higher cost also is due to the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to produce the product, and tests into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's valuable thinking about how certain alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name label but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends selecting more specialised companies.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it must have evidence to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by different brands, she says.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up