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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard Aldi was launching a fresh skincare range that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her nearest store to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold lid of each products look noticeably similar. While Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recently published poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known labels and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. They frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty specialists contend many substitutes to premium brands are good quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always better," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a podcast host, who runs a program with celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by luxury labels "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the professionals also suggest shoppers check details and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and advertising - often the elevated cost also is due to the components and their grade, the concentration of the effective element, the science employed to create the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, the expert explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's worth questioning how certain alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might include less effective components that don't have as many benefits for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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For potent items or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting more specialised labels.

She explains these typically have been subjected to expensive trials to determine how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label advertises about the performance of the product, it requires research to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could suggest a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up