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Rachael Parnell

When Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was offering a new beauty line that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael rushed to her closest outlet to pick up the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml cream.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of each products look noticeably similar. And though Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK buyers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate established companies and provide affordable options to luxury items. These products often have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue some alternatives to premium brands are decent quality and help make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that higher-priced is invariably superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget skincare brand is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," says a podcast host, who runs a program with public figures.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

Yet the experts also recommend consumers do their research and say that costlier products are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology employed to develop the item, and trials into the products' performance, the expert explains.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's worth questioning how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Sometimes, she says they may contain filler ingredients that lack as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he warned.

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For advanced products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

The expert says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items need to be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the performance of the item, it needs data to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference evidence conducted by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Bottle

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

Components on the back of the tube are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up