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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out Aldi was launching a recent beauty line that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of each creams look strikingly comparable. And though Rachael has not used the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK consumers state they've tried a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium items. These products often have similar branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty experts argue many dupes to luxury labels are good standard and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"In my opinion higher-priced is necessarily more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes Scott McGlynn, who runs a program with famous people.

Numerous of the products based on luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will serve a purpose," he says. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the specialists also suggest buyers do their research and state that more expensive items are occasionally worthy of the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the brand and promotion - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the science used to develop the product, and trials into the products' performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert she says it's worth questioning how some dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain less effective components that lack as many advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests selecting more specialised brands.

She states these will likely have been subjected to expensive studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare items need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, says expert another professional.

When the label advertises about the performance of the product, it must have research to verify it, "but the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can instead use testing conducted by different brands, she says.

Check the Back of the Container

Are there any components that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the list of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up