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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her nearest store to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

The sleek blue tube and gold cap of each products look strikingly alike. Although Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a recent poll.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known companies and present cost-effective options to high-end items. They typically have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Better'

Beauty experts argue many dupes to premium brands are good quality and help make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," says skin specialist one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not all high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program featuring public figures.

A lot of of the products based on high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes dupes are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "These items will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is quite low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also advise buyers do their research and say that more expensive items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With high-end skincare, you're not only funding the label and advertising - at times the increased price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to produce the item, and studies into the products' performance, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert she suggests it's important considering how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that lack as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends selecting medical-grade brands.

She says these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company states about the performance of the product, it needs research to back it up, "but the seller does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies completed by other brands, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up