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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was offering a new beauty line that appeared akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her closest shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of both creams look remarkably similar. And though she has never tried the luxury cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that imitate established companies and offer budget-friendly options to premium items. They often have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare experts contend many substitutes to premium brands are decent standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always better," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are really amazing," adds a skincare commentator, who presents a show with celebrities.

Numerous of the items modeled on high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor another professional argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he comments. "They will do the essentials to a acceptable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

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

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

But the specialists also advise consumers do their research and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the higher price also stems from the components and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the science employed to produce the product, and trials into the item's efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman argues it's important thinking about how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Occasionally, she believes they may include filler ingredients that do not provide as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The major question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she remarks.

Expert McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests sticking to medical-grade companies.

She states these probably have been through expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare products must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the performance of the product, it requires research to support it, "but the seller does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference testing conducted by other firms, she clarifies.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any components that could signal a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the container are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up