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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a new product collection that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She dashed to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue packaging and gold top of both items look remarkably similar. Although Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established brands and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products frequently have alike names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare professionals say many dupes to high-end brands are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

However the specialists also suggest shoppers do their research and say that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and marketing - often the elevated price tag also stems from the formula and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the research used to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional suggests it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they could include bulking agents that lack as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

She states these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "however the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead use testing conducted by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Components on the list of the container are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up