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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out Aldi was offering a new skincare range that appeared similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold lid of both products look noticeably similar. Although Rachael has not used the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a 25% of UK consumers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and provide affordable alternatives to luxury items. They often have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists say some substitutes to luxury labels are decent quality and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think costlier is invariably better," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a podcast with celebrities.

Many of the items inspired by luxury brands "disappear so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he comments. "They will do the basics to a reasonable standard."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in using a dupe or a product which is fairly inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

But the specialists also recommend shoppers investigate and note that more expensive products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just covering the label and marketing - at times the elevated price also stems from the formula and their standard, the strength of the key component, the technology used to create the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she explains.

Beauty expert she says it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so cheaply.

Sometimes, she believes they may have less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"One key uncertainty is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

"Do not be convinced by the container," he warned.

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For advanced products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises selecting research-backed companies.

The expert explains these typically have been through comprehensive tests to assess how successful they are.

Skincare items are required to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the effectiveness of the product, it requires research to support it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to perform the trials" and can alternatively cite studies completed by different brands, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

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

Components on the list of the container are listed by quantity. "The baddies that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up