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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper heard Aldi was offering a fresh beauty line that looked similar to offerings from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper hurried to her nearest store to buy the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of each creams look strikingly similar. And though she has never tried the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from high street stores and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK consumers say they've bought a skincare or makeup lookalike. This rises to 44% among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and provide budget-friendly substitutes to high-end products. They typically have comparable names and packaging, but sometimes the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Is Not Always Superior'

Skincare professionals contend many alternatives to premium labels are decent quality and help make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is always more effective," says consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all low-budget product line is inferior - and not every high-end beauty item is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are absolutely excellent," says a skincare commentator, who presents a podcast with famous people.

Numerous of the products modeled on luxury labels "disappear so rapidly, it's just crazy," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert a doctor argues dupes are fine to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the essentials to a satisfactory level."

Another skin doctor, suggests you can save money when you're looking for simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're likely going to be fine in using a budget alternative or a product which is fairly low cost because there's not much that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Swayed by the Box'

But the experts also recommend buyers do their research and say that costlier items are occasionally worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and promotion - at times the elevated price also comes from the ingredients and their standard, the concentration of the key component, the technology utilized to develop the item, and studies into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman says it's important considering how certain dupes can be sold so cheaply.

In some cases, she believes they may contain less effective components that lack as significant benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as high-quality.

"The key uncertainty is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott admits sometimes he's purchased beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

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

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For potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not formulated properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she recommends sticking to research-backed companies.

She states these probably have been subjected to costly tests to determine how effective they are.

Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the effectiveness of the product, it needs evidence to verify it, "but the seller does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead use evidence completed by other companies, she adds.

Read the Back of the Pack

Are there any components that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Components on the back of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up