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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out Aldi was launching a new beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest store to purchase the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

The streamlined blue tube and gold lid of the two products look remarkably similar. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This jumps to 44% among younger adults, as per a recent survey.

Dupes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and provide budget-friendly options to luxury items. They typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts argue some dupes to premium brands are reasonable quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is always more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable product line is poor - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

Many of the items modeled on high-end brands "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will do the essentials to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also recommend shoppers do their research and say that costlier products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - at times the elevated price also comes from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the science employed to create the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Beauty expert another professional says it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they might contain filler ingredients that don't have as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The key doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn says on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests selecting more specialised brands.

The expert says these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how successful they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand states about the performance of the product, it must have data to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use studies conducted by different brands, she says.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a item is inferior?

Components on the list of the bottle are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you need to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up