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Rachael Parnell

After discovering Rachael Parnell heard Aldi was launching a new product collection that appeared comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "extremely excited".

The shopper rushed to her local outlet to pick up the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of the two items look remarkably comparable. And though she has not tested the high-end cream, she states she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers say they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This increases to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a February survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that copy established companies and provide cost-effective substitutes to premium items. They frequently have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the formulas can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Better'

Beauty professionals argue certain dupes to high-end labels are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," comments skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is bad - and not all luxury beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," notes a podcast host, who runs a show about public figures.

A lot of of the products based on luxury labels "disappear so quickly, it's just insane," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry believes dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "They will handle the fundamentals to a acceptable degree."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a budget alternative or a product which is very affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the professionals also recommend shoppers check details and state that costlier items are sometimes worthy of the extra money.

With high-end beauty products, you're not just paying for the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price also is due to the ingredients and their quality, the strength of the active ingredient, the science utilized to develop the product, and studies into the item's efficacy, Dr Belmo notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's important considering how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they might have filler ingredients that do not provide as many positive effects for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

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

Podcast host Scott notes on occasion he's bought skincare items that look comparable to a big-name label but the actual formula has "little similarity to the premium version".

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

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For more complicated items or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not formulated correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist advises selecting medical-grade labels.

The expert explains these typically have been subjected to comprehensive studies to assess how effective they are.

Beauty products need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

If the label advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it must have research to back it up, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by different brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the back of the bottle are arranged by amount. "The baddies that you want to look out for… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up