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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was selling a new skincare range that appeared comparable to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of both items look remarkably similar. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that copy well-known brands and present affordable alternatives to luxury items. They frequently have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue some dupes to premium labels are good quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast with famous people.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're probably 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 go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also recommend shoppers investigate and state that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the name and promotion - at times the increased cost also stems from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the research used to develop the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo says.

Facialist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she believes they may include less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a established brand but the item has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he warned.

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using research-backed brands.

She explains these typically have been subjected to costly trials to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the performance of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference testing done by different companies, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up