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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer learned Aldi was launching a fresh skincare range that looked similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml cream.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold lid of both items look strikingly similar. Although Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been buying skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that mimic established brands and offer budget-friendly options to luxury products. These products typically have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts argue some dupes to premium brands are reasonable standard and help make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is always better," says skin specialist a doctor. "Not every low-budget beauty label is poor - and not every luxury beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really impressive," says a podcast host, who presents a program with famous people.

A lot of of the products inspired by luxury brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks alternatives are acceptable to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when searching for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

Yet the specialists also recommend buyers investigate and say that more expensive products are at times worth the additional cost.

With luxury beauty products, you're not only covering the label and marketing - sometimes the increased cost also is due to the formula and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the science used to produce the item, and trials into the products' efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist she argues it's valuable questioning how certain dupes can be sold so cheaply.

Occasionally, she says they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"One big question mark is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no connection to the original".

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

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For advanced products or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends selecting medical-grade brands.

She states these will likely have been through expensive trials to assess how efficacious they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, says expert another professional.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to verify it, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can alternatively use testing conducted by different firms, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Bottle

Are there any components that could signal a item is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up