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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned Aldi was launching a recent skincare range that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

The smooth blue container and gold top of both items look noticeably similar. And though she has not tested the premium cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup lookalike. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic established companies and present affordable alternatives to premium products. These products frequently have alike branding and containers, but sometimes the components can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts say many dupes to high-end labels are decent standard and assist make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably more effective," states dermatology expert one expert. "Not all affordable product line is inferior - and not all high-end beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," notes a podcast host, who runs a show with public figures.

Many of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

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

"Dupes will do the job," he comments. "These items will perform the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the specialists also recommend shoppers do their research and state that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not only paying for the brand and promotion - often the increased cost also comes from the components and their standard, the potency of the key component, the research used to produce the item, and tests into the item's performance, she notes.

Skin therapist another professional says it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include bulking agents that don't have as numerous benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be sold by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed brands.

The expert explains these will likely have been through costly tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be assessed before they can be sold in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the efficacy of the product, it needs research to verify it, "however the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively use studies completed by different companies, she clarifies.

Read the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are ordered by amount. "Potential irritants that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up