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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was selling a new product collection that seemed similar to offerings from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her closest store to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold lid of each creams look remarkably comparable. Although Rachael has not used the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

She has been using lookalike products from high street stores and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK consumers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate established labels and offer affordable alternatives to premium items. They often have similar labels and design, but occasionally the ingredients can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Skincare specialists argue some dupes to premium brands are good quality and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think higher-priced is invariably superior," states consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every high-end skincare product is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are absolutely excellent," notes a podcast host, who runs a program with famous people.

Many of the items based on high-end brands "sell out so fast, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory degree."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is fairly affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the experts also recommend consumers do their research and state that costlier products are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the name and advertising - at times the elevated price also stems from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology used to develop the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist she suggests it's important questioning how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she believes they may contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's bought beauty products that look similar to a well-known label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the original".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he warned.

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For potent items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist suggests sticking to more specialised brands.

She says these probably have been subjected to costly trials to determine how successful they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it needs data to verify it, "however the brand does not always have to perform the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence done by other companies, she says.

Examine the Label of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up