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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was launching a recent beauty line that looked akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her closest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold cap of the two products look noticeably similar. Although Rachael has not used the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic established brands and present budget-friendly alternatives to luxury products. These products often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say many alternatives to high-end brands are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily superior," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all affordable beauty label is bad - and not every premium skincare product is the top."

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

Numerous of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can spend less when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

However the professionals also recommend shoppers investigate and state that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - sometimes the increased price tag also stems from the components and their quality, the potency of the effective element, the technology employed to produce the product, and tests into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist she argues it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she believes they may have bulking agents that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he cautioned.

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For potent items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the brand does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead cite evidence completed by other companies, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a item is poor?

Components on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up