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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was launching a new product collection that looked similar to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold cap of both products look remarkably similar. While she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established brands and offer affordable alternatives to premium items. These products frequently have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts argue certain substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and assist make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always better," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "They will do the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the specialists also recommend shoppers investigate and say that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - often the increased cost also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's important considering how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they may include less effective components that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting research-backed brands.

She explains these probably have been through expensive studies to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it must have evidence to back it up, "but the brand doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead reference evidence conducted by different firms, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up