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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of the two items look remarkably similar. While she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recently published study.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have alike labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists contend some dupes to premium labels are decent quality and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always superior," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a show with public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the experts also advise consumers check details and state that more expensive products are occasionally worth the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and marketing - often the elevated cost also comes from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the effective element, the science used to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, she explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

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

"The big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

She says these typically have been through costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to support it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead cite evidence completed by different companies, she adds.

Read the Label of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the tube are listed by amount. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up