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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned Aldi was launching a fresh beauty line that seemed similar to items from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her local shop to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.

Its smooth blue container and gold lid of the two creams look remarkably comparable. While she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's impressed by the dupe so far.

She has been using skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's not alone.

Over a quarter of UK consumers state they've bought a skincare or makeup dupe. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, based on a recently published poll.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and provide cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. These products often have comparable labels and design, but in some cases the formulas can vary considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'Costly Isn't Always Superior'

Beauty experts contend many substitutes to high-end labels are decent quality and assist make skincare less expensive.

"In my opinion costlier is always more effective," says skin specialist Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget skincare brand is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the finest."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," says Scott McGlynn, who runs a show with public figures.

Many of the items based on high-end labels "sell out so quickly, it's just insane," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues dupes are suitable to use for "fundamental products" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "They will perform the essentials to a reasonable standard."

A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can save money when you're looking for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're purchasing a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be alright in opting for a budget alternative or something which is quite affordable because there's very little that can go wrong," she explains.

'Don't Be Influenced by the Box'

But the specialists also recommend buyers check details and say that more expensive items are at times worth the extra money.

Regarding premium beauty products, you're not just funding the brand and advertising - often the higher price tag also stems from the ingredients and their quality, the concentration of the key component, the science used to develop the product, and studies into the products' efficacy, the expert explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's important thinking about how certain dupes can be priced so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they could have filler ingredients that lack as significant benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she says.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's purchased skincare items that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding advanced products or those with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not made correctly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, the specialist recommends using research-backed companies.

She states these will likely have been subjected to comprehensive studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty products need to be assessed before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

If the brand states about the effectiveness of the item, it needs research to verify it, "but the brand does not always have to perform the testing" and can instead reference evidence done by different firms, she clarifies.

Check the Back of the Container

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

Components on the back of the bottle are listed by quantity. "Potential irritants that you want to avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up