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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer learned Aldi was launching a recent skincare range that seemed comparable to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest shop to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The sleek blue container and gold cap of the two creams look noticeably similar. While she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a February study.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy bigger name brands and provide budget-friendly options to premium products. They frequently have similar labels and design, but in some cases the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts say many alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is always superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every budget product line is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "They will perform the essentials to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

However the professionals also advise shoppers do their research and say that costlier products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - often the increased price also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the research employed to produce the item, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important considering how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they may include filler ingredients that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The big uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "no connection to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to research-backed labels.

The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the product, it requires data to support it, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively cite evidence done by other companies, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Components on the list of the container are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up