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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a fresh beauty line that looked akin to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her closest outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue container and gold cap of both products look strikingly alike. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, as per a February poll.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. These products often have similar labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists contend certain dupes to high-end labels are good standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that higher-priced is always better," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not all affordable product line is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes 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 reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can spend less when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the experts also recommend buyers check details and note that costlier products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the increased cost also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the active ingredient, the research employed to create the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth thinking about how some dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she states they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

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

Expert Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the item has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For advanced products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises using medical-grade brands.

She explains these probably have been through comprehensive studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company makes claims about the efficacy of the item, it must have data to back it up, "however the seller doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can instead cite studies completed by different brands, she clarifies.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the label of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up