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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was launching a fresh product collection that seemed similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her nearest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold lid of each items look remarkably alike. While she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a 25% of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent study.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established brands and offer cost-effective options to luxury products. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue some dupes to luxury labels are decent standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is invariably more effective," states consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a skincare commentator, who runs a show about famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury labels "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also advise consumers check details and say that higher-priced products are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the name and advertising - at times the increased price tag also stems from the components and their grade, the potency of the key component, the research used to create the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional says it's valuable thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Don't be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she suggests using medical-grade brands.

She says these typically have been subjected to expensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it must have evidence to support it, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively cite testing conducted by different brands, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the list of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up