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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned Aldi was offering a new skincare range that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue container and gold top of each creams look noticeably alike. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, as per a recently published study.

Dupes are skincare products that copy well-known brands and present budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. These products frequently have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists say certain dupes to luxury brands are good standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is invariably better," says skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," adds a podcast host, who hosts a program featuring famous people.

Many of the products inspired by high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the professionals also suggest buyers investigate and note that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just covering the name and advertising - at times the higher price also stems from the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research utilized to develop the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert she says it's worth considering how certain dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they could contain filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

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For more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends using medical-grade brands.

She says these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company makes claims 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 alternatively reference studies done by different firms, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is poor?

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