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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out a supermarket was offering a recent product collection that appeared akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look strikingly similar. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established companies and offer cost-effective alternatives to premium items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists say some dupes to premium brands are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably more effective," comments consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional believes dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the experts also suggest buyers do their research and say that costlier products are occasionally worth the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the name and promotion - at times the higher price also is due to the formula and their grade, the potency of the key component, the technology employed to create the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist she says it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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For more complicated products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist advises using research-backed brands.

The expert says these probably have been through costly trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have data to support it, "but the seller does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence completed by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Bottle

Are there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up