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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer found out Aldi was selling a fresh skincare range that appeared comparable to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael dashed to her local shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

The smooth blue tube and gold cap of each items look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers say they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. These products often have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many dupes to premium brands are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily better," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are truly amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a podcast featuring public figures.

Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the essentials to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she explains.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also recommend consumers investigate and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the label and promotion - often the higher price tag also comes from the components and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology employed to develop the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, she says.

Facialist another professional suggests it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may include bulking agents that lack as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Podcast host Scott says sometimes he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a established label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, she recommends using research-backed brands.

The expert says these probably have been through expensive trials to determine how successful they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label states about the effectiveness of the item, it requires research to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing done by other firms, she adds.

Check the Back of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up