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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was offering a fresh skincare range that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue tube and gold top of the two items look strikingly similar. And though she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate bigger name labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to high-end brands are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily more effective," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not all premium skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," says a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is quite low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the experts also suggest buyers do their research and say that costlier items are at times worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - often the higher cost also is due to the formula and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the science used to create the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she says.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable questioning how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they might have filler ingredients that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One major uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she advises selecting more specialised labels.

The expert states these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the seller does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead cite evidence completed by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could suggest a product is poor?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up