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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned Aldi was offering a fresh beauty line that appeared comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her closest outlet to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of each creams look strikingly alike. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published study.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and offer cost-effective substitutes to high-end items. These products typically have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare specialists say certain dupes to high-end labels are decent standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion costlier is always superior," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a show with public figures.

Numerous of the products inspired by luxury labels "run out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry argues alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will do the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can spend less when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

However the experts also advise buyers do their research and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

With premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also stems from the components and their standard, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to produce the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional says it's important considering how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might contain bulking agents that lack as numerous positive effects for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's purchased skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises using more specialised companies.

The expert explains these typically have been through comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies completed by different firms, she clarifies.

Read the Label of the Container

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the tube are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up