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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was launching a recent beauty line that looked similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each products look strikingly alike. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and present affordable options to luxury items. These products frequently have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts contend many alternatives to premium brands are good standard and assist make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily better," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," says a podcast host, who hosts a show with famous people.

A lot of of the products based on high-end labels "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is fairly low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the specialists also advise buyers check details and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the label and promotion - sometimes the elevated price tag also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and tests into the item's performance, she says.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's worth considering how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they might have bulking agents that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For advanced items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting research-backed brands.

The expert explains these probably have been subjected to comprehensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead reference evidence completed by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up