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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned Aldi was selling a new product collection that seemed similar to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her local store to purchase the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The sleek blue tube and gold lid of both items look remarkably comparable. While she has not used the high-end cream, she says she's satisfied by the product so far.

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

Over a 25% of UK buyers state they've purchased a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to nearly half among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published poll.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic established labels and provide budget-friendly substitutes to luxury products. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Beauty experts contend certain alternatives to high-end labels are good standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think higher-priced is necessarily more effective," states consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all budget product line is bad - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a podcast about celebrities.

Many of the products modeled on high-end labels "run out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry thinks dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will serve a purpose," he says. "They will perform the fundamentals to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, thinks you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's very little that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the experts also advise shoppers investigate and state that costlier items are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding high-end skincare, you're not only covering the label and promotion - often the elevated price also is due to the formula and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the technology used to create the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's important questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they might contain filler ingredients that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

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

Podcast host Scott says in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a established label but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he warned.

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For advanced items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises sticking to medical-grade labels.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to expensive tests to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist another professional.

When the company advertises about the performance of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the seller does not always have to perform the trials" and can instead reference testing conducted by other firms, she says.

Examine the Back of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could indicate a product is inferior?

Components on the list of the tube are ordered by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up