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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out a supermarket was selling a recent product collection that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold top of each items look strikingly similar. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established labels and present affordable options to high-end products. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists say some substitutes to luxury brands are decent standard and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a podcast host, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products based on high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or a product which is very inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also recommend shoppers do their research and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the name and advertising - often the increased price tag also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the key component, the technology employed to develop the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, she says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth questioning how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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For more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends using medical-grade companies.

She says these probably have been through comprehensive studies to determine how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.

When the brand makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires research to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead cite studies completed by different firms, she says.

Read the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up