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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper heard a supermarket was launching a new skincare range that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of the two items look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK consumers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established companies and provide cost-effective substitutes to premium items. These products often have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Skincare professionals say many alternatives to premium labels are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably better," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a program featuring public figures.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will perform the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the experts also suggest buyers investigate and note that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and advertising - often the higher cost also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth considering how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For more complicated items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting medical-grade brands.

She explains these will likely have been through comprehensive trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the brand makes claims about the performance of the item, it must have research to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead reference studies completed by other companies, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the tube are listed by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up