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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer learned Aldi was launching a new skincare range that seemed similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its sleek blue container and gold cap of both creams look remarkably similar. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a February survey.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name labels and present affordable alternatives to premium items. They typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals contend certain dupes to premium labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show about public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end labels "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the professionals also recommend buyers check details and note that costlier products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not only covering the label and advertising - often the elevated cost also stems from the components and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the technology utilized to develop the item, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they might contain bulking agents that don't have as many benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott says in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises selecting more specialised labels.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite testing done by different brands, she says.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Is there any components that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the label of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up