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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper heard Aldi was offering a new beauty line that seemed akin to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

Rachael hurried to her local outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue tube and gold top of both creams look strikingly alike. And though she has not used the premium cream, she says she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

More than a fourth of UK consumers say they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, as per a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name brands and offer budget-friendly substitutes to premium products. These products typically have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can change considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Always Superior'

Skincare professionals argue certain alternatives to premium labels are good quality and aid make skincare less expensive.

"It is not true that more expensive is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are really excellent," says a podcast host, who presents a podcast with celebrities.

Numerous of the items modeled on luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor Ross Perry believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will handle the essentials to a reasonable degree."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"When you're buying a simple item then you're likely going to be alright in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Don't Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also advise buyers do their research and state that more expensive products are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the label and promotion - sometimes the elevated price also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the effective element, the research employed to create the product, and tests into the products' performance, the expert says.

Skin therapist she argues it's valuable considering how some dupes can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they may contain filler ingredients that do not provide as significant positive effects for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as well sourced.

"The major question mark is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's purchased skincare items that look comparable to a well-known brand but the item has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the packaging," he added.

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Regarding advanced items or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate recommends sticking to research-backed labels.

She explains these will likely have been subjected to expensive trials to assess how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be sold in the UK, says consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand makes claims about the effectiveness of the item, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the seller doesn't necessarily have to do the trials" and can instead use evidence done by other firms, she says.

Examine the Label of the Container

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

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up