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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard Aldi was selling a recent product collection that appeared akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest shop to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of both products look remarkably comparable. And though she has never tried the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the dupe so far.

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

Over a quarter of UK buyers report they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, as per a February survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and present affordable alternatives to premium items. These products frequently have similar branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare specialists argue some dupes to premium labels are good standard and aid make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily superior," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is poor - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," says a podcast host, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

Many of the products inspired by high-end labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a reasonable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in using a dupe 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 advise buyers check details and note that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the premium price.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and advertising - at times the higher price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the key component, the technology utilized to create the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she says they could include less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One major doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a big-name 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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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends using more specialised brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs data to back it up, "however the brand does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively cite testing conducted by different companies, she adds.

Check the Back of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could suggest a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up