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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out Aldi was offering a new beauty line that appeared comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The streamlined blue tube and gold cap of both items look remarkably comparable. Although she has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

More than a 25% of UK consumers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and present budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. These products often have comparable branding and containers, but occasionally the ingredients can differ substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists argue some substitutes to premium brands are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is invariably superior," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," notes a podcast host, who presents a show featuring celebrities.

Numerous of the products based on high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes 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."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a dupe or a product which is very low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she says.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

But the specialists also advise shoppers check details and say that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - often the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their standard, the potency of the effective element, the research utilized to create the product, and trials into the products' performance, she notes.

Facialist she argues it's important thinking about how certain alternatives can be offered so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she states they could include less effective components that don't have as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

She explains these typically have been through comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

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

When the company advertises about the performance of the item, it requires research to support it, "but the manufacturer does not always have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively use studies completed by different brands, she says.

Check the Label of the Bottle

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Components on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up