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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard a supermarket was selling a new skincare range that looked comparable to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael hurried to her closest outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of each items look noticeably similar. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that copy well-known companies and offer cost-effective options to luxury products. They typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts say some alternatives to luxury brands are decent standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast about celebrities.

Many of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

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

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

However the professionals also suggest shoppers check details and state that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - sometimes the increased cost also is due to the components and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the science used to produce the product, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might include less effective components that do not provide as many benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn says on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises using research-backed companies.

She explains these typically have been through expensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to verify it, "however the brand doesn't always have to do the testing" and can instead reference studies conducted by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up