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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a discounter was selling a new beauty line that looked similar to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local store to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of the two products look strikingly alike. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent study.

Dupes are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and provide cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. These products typically have similar labels and design, but occasionally the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare professionals say certain substitutes to luxury labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a show featuring famous people.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and note that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the label and promotion - sometimes the higher price also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the key component, the science used to produce the item, and tests into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable considering how some alternatives can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they may include less effective components that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For more complicated products or those with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends selecting research-backed brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to determine how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, says skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the performance of the product, it needs research to support it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively use studies completed 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 back of the container are ordered by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up