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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard a discounter was launching a fresh beauty line that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her closest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of each products look noticeably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and present budget-friendly options to premium products. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts contend certain substitutes to luxury labels are decent standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast about public figures.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the experts also recommend consumers check details and say that costlier items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the name and advertising - at times the higher price tag also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the research utilized to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they might contain less effective components that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using research-backed companies.

She says these typically have been through comprehensive trials to determine how effective they are.

Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

When the company makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it must have research to support it, "but the brand does not always have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference testing conducted by different firms, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up