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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned Aldi was offering a fresh product collection that appeared akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her local outlet to purchase the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 of the Augustinus Bader 50ml product.

The smooth blue packaging and gold lid of the two products look strikingly similar. And though Rachael has never tried the premium cream, she states she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been using beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've tried a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name brands and provide affordable substitutes to high-end products. They frequently have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the components can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

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

"It is not true that costlier is invariably better," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not all budget beauty label is bad - and not all luxury skincare product is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a show with celebrities.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry argues alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will do the job," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can save money when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be alright in using a lookalike or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Container'

Yet the experts also suggest consumers check details and note that costlier products are sometimes worth the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only paying for the label and promotion - at times the increased price also is due to the formula and their standard, the strength of the effective element, the technology employed to develop the item, and tests into the products' efficacy, the expert says.

Facialist another professional argues it's important questioning how some dupes can be offered so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they may contain bulking agents that do not provide as numerous advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as carefully selected.

"One big question mark is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name brand but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Do not be sold by the outer appearance," he added.

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Regarding potent products or ones with components that can aggravate the skin if they're not created properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate recommends selecting research-backed companies.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive studies to assess how efficacious they are.

Beauty products must be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the label states about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to support it, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead reference evidence done by different brands, she says.

Read the Label of the Bottle

Is there any components that could signal a product is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up