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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned a discounter was launching a new beauty line that appeared akin to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold lid of the two products look remarkably similar. Although she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. These products often have similar labels and design, but occasionally the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare specialists contend many substitutes to premium labels are decent standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is always better," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is poor - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a podcast with famous people.

Many of the products inspired by high-end labels "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

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

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

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the specialists also recommend shoppers check details and note that more expensive items are occasionally worth the extra money.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only funding the name and marketing - at times the increased cost also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the key component, the technology employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist another professional says it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they may include less effective components that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator Scott notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For more complicated products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using medical-grade companies.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says expert another professional.

If the label states about the performance of the product, it needs data to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead use testing done by other companies, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

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

Components on the label of the container are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up