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Rachael Parnell

After discovering one shopper learned Aldi was offering a recent skincare range that seemed comparable to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She rushed to her local shop to pick up the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its streamlined blue packaging and gold cap of both creams look remarkably comparable. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she states she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been using lookalike products from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a fourth of UK shoppers report they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, as per a recently published survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that mimic well-known labels and provide affordable alternatives to high-end items. They typically have alike labels and design, but sometimes the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Better'

Skincare specialists say many alternatives to high-end brands are decent standard and aid make beauty routines cheaper.

"It is not true that more expensive is always better," comments skin specialist a doctor. "Not all low-budget skincare brand is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"Some [dupes] are truly excellent," notes a skincare commentator, who hosts a show featuring public figures.

Many of the products inspired by luxury labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor argues alternatives are suitable to use for "simple routines" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will serve a purpose," he explains. "They will perform the basics to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, suggests you can spend less when seeking single-ingredient products like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a lookalike or a product which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

Yet the professionals also recommend shoppers check details and say that more expensive items are occasionally worth the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not only covering the name and promotion - at times the higher price tag also comes from the components and their grade, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology utilized to develop the product, and tests into the item's effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist another professional argues it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be priced so inexpensively.

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

"The big uncertainty is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Commentator Scott says on occasion he's bought skincare items that look similar to a big-name brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can inflame the complexion if they're not created properly, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, the specialist suggests using more specialised companies.

The expert states these probably have been subjected to expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items must be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, notes consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company makes claims about the performance of the item, it requires research to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to conduct the testing" and can instead use testing completed by other brands, she says.

Check the Ingredients List of the Bottle

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

Ingredients on the label of the container are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you want to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up