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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out a supermarket was launching a recent skincare range that appeared akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her nearest outlet to purchase the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of each products look remarkably alike. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's pleased by the product so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recently published poll.

Dupes are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and present affordable substitutes to luxury products. These products frequently have alike labels and design, but in some cases the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty professionals contend many substitutes to high-end labels are decent standard and aid make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is necessarily superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every affordable beauty label is bad - and not every high-end skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely impressive," adds a skincare commentator, who runs a program with public figures.

A lot of of the products based on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry believes dupes are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will do the basics to a satisfactory level."

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

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a dupe or a product which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Packaging'

Yet the professionals also advise consumers check details and say that costlier products are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - at times the elevated price also comes from the ingredients and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the science utilized to create the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert says.

Skin therapist she says it's important questioning how some alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she says they might include bulking agents that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

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

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

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he added.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade labels.

She says these probably have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be sold in the UK, explains expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label states about the performance of the item, it needs data to verify it, "but the brand doesn't always have to do the trials" and can instead use studies conducted by other firms, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the tube are listed by concentration. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up