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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer heard Aldi was selling a fresh skincare range that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her closest shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both items look strikingly comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the product so far.

Rachael has been using lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, according to a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name companies and offer budget-friendly alternatives to premium products. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare experts argue many substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think costlier is always more effective," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast with celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or something which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not just paying for the name and advertising - often the increased cost also is due to the formula and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the research utilized to create the product, and tests into the item's performance, she notes.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they could contain bulking agents that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

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

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For more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends using research-backed companies.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company states about the efficacy of the item, it must have evidence to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can instead use studies done by other brands, she adds.

Read the Label of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up