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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned a discounter was offering a recent beauty line that looked similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael dashed to her local store to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold top of the two creams look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, according to a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and present budget-friendly options to luxury items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say many substitutes to premium brands are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily more effective," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is inferior - and not all premium skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really impressive," adds a podcast host, who runs a program with public figures.

Many of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he comments. "These items will perform the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's not much that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

However the specialists also recommend consumers do their research and state that higher-priced products are occasionally worth the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not only covering the brand and advertising - often the increased price tag also is due to the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the research utilized to develop the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, the expert says.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's important considering how some dupes can be offered so cheaply.

Occasionally, she states they may have bulking agents that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert Scott admits sometimes he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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For potent items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests using more specialised companies.

The expert states these will likely have been through costly studies to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the label states about the performance of the item, it requires evidence to support it, "however the brand does not necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead use evidence done by different firms, she clarifies.

Examine the Label of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the back of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up