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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper found out Aldi was offering a new product collection that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of both products look strikingly alike. While she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published survey.

Dupes are skincare products that mimic established labels and provide budget-friendly alternatives to luxury items. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists say certain dupes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is always superior," states skin specialist a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program about famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the experts also recommend shoppers do their research and note that more expensive items are at times worth the premium price.

With premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - at times the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman argues it's valuable considering how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they could include less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For more complicated products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises selecting research-backed companies.

She explains these will likely have been through costly trials to determine how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to support it, "but the brand doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead reference evidence completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up