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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard Aldi was launching a recent skincare range that looked comparable to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her local store to buy the Lacura face cream for a low price for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the high-end 50ml item.

The smooth blue tube and gold cap of the two items look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has not used the premium cream, she claims she's pleased by the alternative so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from high street stores and grocery stores for some time, and she's in good company.

More than a fourth of UK buyers state they've bought a skincare or makeup alternative. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and present budget-friendly options to premium products. These products often have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the components can change substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty professionals argue some alternatives to premium labels are good standard and assist make skincare cheaper.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget product line is inferior - and not all high-end skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really amazing," says a skincare commentator, who presents a program about public figures.

A lot of of the items inspired by high-end labels "run out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are acceptable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"These products will be effective," he says. "They will do the basics to a acceptable degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can cut costs when seeking simple-formula products like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is fairly affordable because there's not much that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

However the specialists also recommend buyers do their research and say that costlier products are sometimes worth the premium price.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - often the higher price tag also comes from the formula and their quality, the concentration of the active ingredient, the science employed to create the item, and trials into the products' performance, Dr Belmo notes.

Beauty expert another professional suggests it's worth considering how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she says they may include bulking agents that don't have as significant advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she says.

Podcast host McGlynn says sometimes he's bought skincare items that appear similar to a well-known label but the item has "little similarity to the premium version".

"Do not be fooled by the packaging," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent products or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises selecting more specialised labels.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive trials to assess how effective they are.

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

If the company states about the performance of the item, it needs evidence to back it up, "however the seller does not always have to conduct the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other firms, she adds.

Read the Ingredients List of the Pack

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

Components on the list of the tube are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up