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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell heard a discounter was selling a recent skincare range that looked similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold cap of the two creams look strikingly similar. While Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy established brands and offer affordable options to luxury items. They often have alike branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare experts argue certain alternatives to high-end labels are good quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is always better," says skin specialist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a podcast host, who presents a show featuring public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or a product which is very affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the professionals also recommend buyers check details and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the label and promotion - at times the higher price also is due to the components and their quality, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to produce the product, and studies into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they might have less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One major uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting research-backed labels.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly tests to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the company states about the efficacy of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by different firms, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up