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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was offering a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her nearest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The streamlined blue tube and gold top of both creams look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established labels and provide budget-friendly options to high-end products. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say certain dupes to premium labels are good standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion more expensive is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast about famous people.

Many of the items based on luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the experts also advise buyers check details and state that costlier products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not just funding the name and advertising - at times the increased price tag also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the technology used to create the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Facialist she suggests it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might have less effective components that do not provide as numerous advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using medical-grade brands.

The expert states these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

When the brand states about the performance of the product, it requires evidence to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference evidence conducted by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any components that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up