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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was offering a fresh product collection that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her nearest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of each creams look strikingly alike. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK buyers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, according to a February poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and present budget-friendly options to luxury products. They often have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Superior'

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

"I don't think higher-priced is always superior," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a podcast host, who runs a show about celebrities.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the professionals also advise consumers check details and say that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the name and marketing - at times the elevated cost also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research employed to produce the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert notes.

Skin therapist she says it's worth considering how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she says they might have filler ingredients that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

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

Commentator McGlynn says on occasion he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he warned.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she suggests using more specialised brands.

She says these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the efficacy of the item, it needs data to support it, "however the brand does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead reference studies completed by other companies, she says.

Read the Back of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up