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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned Aldi was offering a fresh skincare range that looked akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her local store to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of each products look remarkably comparable. While Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

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

More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a February survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and present cost-effective substitutes to high-end products. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the components can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is necessarily superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show featuring famous people.

Many of the products modeled on luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend consumers investigate and note that costlier products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the technology used to produce the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert explains.

Skin therapist another professional says it's important considering how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he added.

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For potent items or those with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert states these probably have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be available in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the product, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to do the testing" and can instead use studies conducted by different brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up