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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned Aldi was offering a new skincare range that appeared akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She hurried to her nearest store to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of the two products look noticeably comparable. While she has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, as per a recently published study.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate well-known brands and present affordable options to luxury items. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists say certain alternatives to high-end labels are decent quality and aid make beauty routines less expensive.

"I don't think more expensive is always superior," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not all affordable product line is bad - and not all high-end skincare product is the top."

"Some [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who runs a podcast featuring famous people.

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

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will do the job," he says. "These items will do the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can spend less when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is very inexpensive because there's not much that can be problematic," she adds.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Packaging'

Yet the specialists also advise buyers investigate and note that more expensive products are at times worthy of the additional cost.

With luxury beauty products, you're not just paying for the name and marketing - at times the elevated price also is due to the formula and their quality, the strength of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's effectiveness, the expert says.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's important thinking about how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they might include bulking agents that don't have as many positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"The key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding advanced items or those with ingredients that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to medical-grade companies.

She states these probably have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how effective they are.

Skincare items must be tested before they can be sold in the UK, notes skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires data to support it, "however the brand doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other companies, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Bottle

Is there any components that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the label of the bottle are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up