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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned Aldi was selling a new product collection that seemed similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her local outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its streamlined blue container and gold top of the two items look remarkably similar. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and present budget-friendly alternatives to premium items. They frequently have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Beauty professionals argue some dupes to premium labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily better," comments dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast with celebrities.

A lot of of the products modeled on luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

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

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the specialists also advise shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the brand and promotion - sometimes the increased price also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the research employed to produce the product, and trials into the item's performance, she explains.

Beauty expert she says it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a established label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises using more specialised brands.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand advertises about the performance of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other firms, she adds.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Are there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the label of the bottle are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up