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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a discounter was launching a fresh product collection that appeared similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her nearest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each items look remarkably similar. Although she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and present cost-effective options to luxury items. These products typically have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts argue certain alternatives to luxury brands are decent quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is always better," comments dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable product line is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about public figures.

A lot of of the items based on high-end labels "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

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

Another skin doctor, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the professionals also suggest consumers do their research and say that more expensive products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the brand and advertising - sometimes the higher price also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the science utilized to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they may contain less effective components that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a established label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For potent products or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests selecting medical-grade companies.

She says these typically have been through costly trials to assess how efficacious they are.

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

If the company states about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by other companies, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up