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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard a discounter was offering a fresh product collection that appeared similar to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her nearest shop to purchase the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of the two creams look remarkably alike. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a fourth of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and present budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty specialists say many dupes to luxury labels are decent quality and assist make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is necessarily superior," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all high-end beauty item is the best."

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

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

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor believes dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when searching for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly affordable because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Packaging'

However the experts also suggest consumers check details and state that costlier items are occasionally worth the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - often the higher price tag also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology used to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, she notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's worth questioning how certain alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

Occasionally, she believes they might have filler ingredients that don't have as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The key question mark is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he cautioned.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she advises using medical-grade brands.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to costly studies to evaluate how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, says expert another professional.

When the label makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires data to support it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to do the testing" and can instead reference studies done by other brands, she adds.

Check the Label of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the back of the bottle are listed by amount. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up