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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing Rachael Parnell found out Aldi was launching a new beauty line that seemed comparable to offerings from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She dashed to her local shop to buy the Lacura face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look noticeably similar. While she has not used the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for some time, and she's not alone.

More than a quarter of UK buyers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This rises to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, according to a recent survey.

Lookalikes are beauty items that imitate bigger name companies and present budget-friendly substitutes to luxury items. They often have similar labels and design, but in some cases the ingredients can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Better'

Skincare experts say certain alternatives to premium brands are reasonable standard and help make skincare more affordable.

"In my opinion higher-priced is always more effective," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not every affordable beauty label is inferior - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are really impressive," notes Scott McGlynn, who presents a program about public figures.

Numerous of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist another professional thinks dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he explains. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable standard."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is very low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she explains.

'Do Not Be Influenced by the Container'

But the professionals also suggest shoppers investigate and note that costlier products are sometimes worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end beauty products, you're not only paying for the label and marketing - often the increased cost also stems from the components and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the science used to develop the item, and tests into the item's effectiveness, Dr Belmo says.

Beauty expert Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they might contain less effective components that lack as significant advantages for the complexion, or the ingredients might not be as high-quality.

"The major doubt is 'How is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Expert McGlynn says sometimes he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no connection to the original".

"Do not be fooled by the container," he added.

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using research-backed labels.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to costly studies to determine how successful they are.

Skincare products are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the brand makes claims about the performance of the product, it requires research to back it up, "but the seller does not always have to do the trials" and can instead use studies done by different companies, she adds.

Read the Back of the Container

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

Ingredients on the list of the container are ordered by amount. "The baddies that you should be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up