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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was selling a fresh product collection that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold lid of the two creams look noticeably comparable. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate established brands and offer affordable options to high-end items. These products typically have alike labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts argue many dupes to high-end labels are decent standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily superior," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a program about celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the specialists also advise consumers do their research and say that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased cost also comes from the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the science used to create the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they may include less effective components that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he cautioned.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises sticking to medical-grade companies.

She states these probably have been through expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires data to back it up, "however the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use evidence done by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up