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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was offering a new product collection that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her local outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The sleek blue packaging and gold top of the two creams look remarkably comparable. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February study.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and present budget-friendly options to premium items. These products typically have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts say some alternatives to high-end brands are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a podcast host, who presents a show with public figures.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that more expensive items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only funding the name and promotion - sometimes the higher price tag also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the item, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

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

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Expert Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a established brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the container," he warned.

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For more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using more specialised labels.

The expert says these probably have been through expensive tests to assess how effective they are.

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

When the label states about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to verify it, "but the seller doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite studies conducted by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up