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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out a discounter was launching a fresh beauty line that seemed similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest store to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of each products look remarkably similar. Although she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to 44% among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy well-known labels and offer cost-effective alternatives to luxury items. They often have similar labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals contend certain alternatives to luxury labels are good standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"In my opinion more expensive is invariably more effective," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not every budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a program about famous people.

Many of the products based on luxury labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also recommend buyers do their research and note that higher-priced items are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end skincare, you're not only paying for the name and marketing - at times the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the science used to create the product, and tests into the item's performance, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert she says it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she believes they could contain bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

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

Commentator McGlynn notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be sold by the container," he cautioned.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist advises selecting research-backed brands.

She says these will likely have been through costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says skin doctor another professional.

When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence conducted by other brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up