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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell learned Aldi was launching a fresh product collection that seemed similar to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael dashed to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the high-end 50ml item.

Its streamlined blue container and gold cap of each creams look noticeably comparable. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers report they've purchased a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recently published survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that copy well-known labels and provide affordable alternatives to premium items. These products often have similar names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists argue certain alternatives to premium labels are reasonable quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"I don't think more expensive is always better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all affordable skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are really amazing," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show about famous people.

Numerous of the products based on luxury brands "run out so quickly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will do the job," he explains. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Packaging'

However the experts also suggest buyers do their research and state that higher-priced products are at times worthy of the extra money.

With luxury skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the components and their grade, the potency of the key component, the technology employed to develop the product, and tests into the products' effectiveness, she explains.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they may contain less effective components that do not provide as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The key uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator Scott notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or those with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends using research-backed brands.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to comprehensive trials to evaluate how successful they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the efficacy of the product, it must have data to back it up, "however the brand doesn't always have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence completed by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Back of the Pack

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

Ingredients on the list of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up