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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned a supermarket was launching a fresh beauty line that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her local store to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly alike. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate established brands and present affordable alternatives to high-end products. They frequently have similar labels and design, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists say many alternatives to premium labels are decent quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget beauty label is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," notes a podcast host, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.

Many of the items modeled on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

However the experts also recommend buyers do their research and note that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the extra money.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only covering the label and promotion - often the elevated price tag also comes from the components and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology used to produce the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

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

Sometimes, she states they might have filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

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For advanced products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using more specialised labels.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the performance of the item, it requires research to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference testing done by different firms, she says.

Read the Back of the Pack

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

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up