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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that seemed akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper rushed to her local shop to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold top of both products look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've tried a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury products. These products typically have comparable branding and containers, but sometimes the formulas can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare professionals say some dupes to luxury labels are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably more effective," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who presents a program with celebrities.

Numerous of the items based on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "They will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when you're looking for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also advise buyers investigate and say that higher-priced items are occasionally worthy of the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the name and marketing - often the increased price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and trials into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's important questioning how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they may contain bulking agents that don't have as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to research-backed brands.

The expert says these probably have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the company states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference studies conducted by different brands, she says.

Read the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up