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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard Aldi was offering a recent beauty line that looked akin to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml product.

The sleek blue packaging and gold top of each products look remarkably comparable. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44% among younger adults, as per a recent poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy well-known labels and offer affordable substitutes to high-end items. They often have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue many dupes to premium brands are decent standard and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably better," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not every budget skincare brand is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a podcast host, who hosts a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

However the experts also advise consumers investigate and note that higher-priced items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the higher price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the science used to develop the item, and studies into the item's performance, she notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could contain less effective components that don't have as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed labels.

The expert states these typically have been through expensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have research to verify it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use evidence done by other brands, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the container are arranged by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up