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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out Aldi was launching a new skincare range that appeared similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest shop to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml cream.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of each products look noticeably comparable. And though Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been buying lookalike products from high street stores and supermarkets for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK buyers say they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a February poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known companies and offer budget-friendly options to high-end products. They often have comparable names and packaging, but occasionally the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say some dupes to premium brands are decent quality and assist make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think costlier is invariably superior," comments skin specialist one expert. "Not every low-budget beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Certain [dupes] are really impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who runs a podcast with celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by high-end brands "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor thinks alternatives are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "They will do the basics to a reasonable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can go wrong," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

Yet the experts also suggest consumers check details and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the extra money.

Regarding luxury skincare, you're not just covering the name and advertising - at times the higher price also comes from the formula and their standard, the concentration of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to create the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman says it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they may have less effective components that do not provide as significant positive effects for the skin, or the ingredients might not be as carefully selected.

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

Podcast host McGlynn notes on occasion he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a well-known label but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding potent items or those with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist recommends sticking to research-backed companies.

The expert says these will likely have been subjected to expensive tests to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty products are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the effectiveness of the product, it must have data to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively use studies done by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Are there any components that could indicate a item is inferior?

Ingredients on the label of the bottle are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up