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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned Aldi was launching a fresh product collection that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her local shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue tube and gold cap of both creams look remarkably alike. And though Rachael has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published study.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and present cost-effective options to premium items. They typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the components can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty professionals argue certain alternatives to high-end labels are good quality and aid make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that higher-priced is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the best."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," notes a podcast host, who hosts a show with public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by luxury brands "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "These items will perform the essentials to a reasonable level."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can save money when seeking single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

But the specialists also advise shoppers do their research and note that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only covering the label and advertising - sometimes the higher price also comes from the formula and their standard, the strength of the key component, the research employed to produce the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, the expert says.

Skin therapist another professional says it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could have less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One big uncertainty is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn admits on occasion he's purchased beauty products that look comparable to a established label but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist suggests sticking to research-backed labels.

She states these typically have been subjected to expensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to verify it, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference studies done by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any ingredients that could signal a product is poor?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up