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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was offering a new skincare range that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest store to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established labels and provide cost-effective options to luxury items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists say some substitutes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast featuring celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the professionals also recommend shoppers check details and say that costlier items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also stems from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research utilized to produce the item, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert says.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important questioning how some dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they could include less effective components that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a established brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using more specialised brands.

The expert says these will likely have been subjected to expensive tests to determine how successful they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have evidence to support it, "however the manufacturer does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively use studies done by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up