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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was offering a new beauty line that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper dashed to her nearest shop to pick up the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The smooth blue tube and gold top of both products look remarkably similar. Although she has never tried the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and provide budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. They often have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists contend some substitutes to luxury brands are reasonable standard and assist make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is always better," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show with famous people.

Numerous of the products modeled on luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes dupes are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he comments. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the specialists also suggest shoppers check details and state that costlier items are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only funding the name and promotion - often the increased cost also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the item, and studies into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's important considering how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she says they could have less effective components that don't have as many positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

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

Expert Scott admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "little similarity to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

The expert explains these probably have been subjected to expensive studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty items need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, says expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have data to back it up, "but the seller does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different companies, she says.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is low-quality?

Components on the back of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up