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Rachael Parnell

After discovering a consumer found out Aldi was launching a recent product collection that appeared similar to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper rushed to her closest store to pick up the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The sleek blue tube and gold top of each items look strikingly alike. And though Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's pleased by the product so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for years, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to 44% among younger adults, according to a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate well-known labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end items. They typically have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty professionals argue certain substitutes to high-end brands are reasonable quality and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion higher-priced is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every affordable product line is inferior - and not all luxury beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly excellent," adds a podcast host, who hosts a podcast about famous people.

Many of the items inspired by luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues alternatives are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "They will do the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's not much that can cause issues," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Box'

But the specialists also advise consumers check details and state that higher-priced items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not just funding the label and advertising - often the higher price also stems from the components and their quality, the potency of the key component, the science used to develop the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo explains.

Facialist she says it's valuable considering how certain alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they could have filler ingredients that don't have as significant benefits for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"One key question mark is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be sold by the container," he added.

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Regarding potent items or ones with components that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, she advises selecting research-backed brands.

The expert says these will likely have been subjected to costly tests to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor another professional.

If the brand makes claims about the performance of the product, it must have data to back it up, "but the manufacturer doesn't necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can instead use studies done by different brands, she adds.

Check the Back of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the list of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up