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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was launching a new beauty line that looked comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local shop to buy the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of each creams look noticeably alike. And though she has not used the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

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

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and offer cost-effective substitutes to premium items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue some dupes to high-end brands are good quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably superior," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a show about public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is fairly inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also recommend shoppers check details and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - at times the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the science utilized to create the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert she argues it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they could include filler ingredients that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Expert Scott notes sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the container," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to research-backed labels.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "but the seller doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use evidence conducted by different brands, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the tube are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up