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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer heard a supermarket was launching a recent product collection that seemed similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her local shop to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The smooth blue container and gold top of each items look strikingly similar. While she has never tried the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers report they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that copy established brands and present affordable options to luxury products. These products typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare specialists contend certain alternatives to luxury labels are reasonable quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not all low-budget product line is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a program featuring celebrities.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Alternatives will be effective," he comments. "They will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

Yet the professionals also advise consumers investigate and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the additional cost.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just covering the name and promotion - often the elevated price tag also is due to the components and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the research used to develop the item, and tests into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo notes.

Skin therapist another professional argues it's worth considering how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they might have filler ingredients that lack as numerous advantages for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

"The big question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits on occasion he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a big-name label but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the container," he added.

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises sticking to research-backed labels.

She states these probably have been subjected to costly trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be available in the UK, notes expert another professional.

If the label states about the efficacy of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the trials" and can instead reference evidence conducted by other brands, she clarifies.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the label of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up