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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned Aldi was launching a recent product collection that seemed comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She hurried to her local outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two products look strikingly similar. Although Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This jumps to nearly half among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.

Alternatives are beauty items that mimic well-known companies and present affordable alternatives to premium items. These products often have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals say many dupes to luxury labels are reasonable quality and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely amazing," adds a podcast host, who hosts a podcast featuring famous people.

Many of the items inspired by luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "They will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or something which is very low cost because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Packaging'

But the specialists also recommend buyers do their research and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just covering the brand and marketing - often the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their grade, the strength of the key component, the research used to produce the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert she suggests it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they could include less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "no resemblance to the original".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he cautioned.

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For advanced items or those with components that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using research-backed labels.

She explains these probably have been through expensive studies to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.

If the company makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it must have data to back it up, "but the seller does not always have to do the testing" and can alternatively use evidence done by other firms, she says.

Check the Label of the Container

Are there any components that could signal a item is low-quality?

Components on the label of the container are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up