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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper found out Aldi was offering a fresh product collection that appeared comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

She rushed to her local store to purchase the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml cream.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of both products look strikingly comparable. And though she has not used the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been buying skincare dupes from mainstream retailers and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This increases to 44 percent among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent survey.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic established brands and provide budget-friendly options to high-end items. They typically have similar labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Necessarily Better'

Skincare professionals argue some alternatives to luxury brands are good standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always more effective," states skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are absolutely impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a show about celebrities.

Numerous of the products inspired by high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just crazy," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks alternatives are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "They will perform the fundamentals to a reasonable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can cut costs when seeking single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can cause issues," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

However the professionals also suggest consumers check details and say that more expensive items are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just covering the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the ingredients and their grade, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the product, and trials into the item's performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman says it's worth thinking about how certain alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they might contain less effective components that don't have as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One big doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert Scott notes in some cases he's bought skincare items that look similar to a established brand but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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Regarding more complicated products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to more specialised brands.

She states these typically have been subjected to expensive tests to assess how successful they are.

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

If the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively cite testing conducted by other firms, she adds.

Read the Label of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the bottle are listed by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up