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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was offering a fresh beauty line that seemed comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her closest store to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look noticeably alike. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK consumers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy bigger name brands and provide affordable options to high-end products. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the ingredients can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts contend certain dupes to premium brands are good quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," states skin specialist one expert. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," says a podcast host, who runs a show with public figures.

Many of the products based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional believes dupes are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very inexpensive because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the specialists also suggest shoppers investigate and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not just covering the label and advertising - at times the elevated price also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the research employed to develop the item, and studies into the products' performance, she explains.

Skin therapist another professional suggests it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they could have filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The major question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to research-backed brands.

She states these will likely have been subjected to costly trials to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items must be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead use studies done by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up