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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper learned Aldi was selling a new product collection that appeared akin to items from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

She dashed to her closest shop to buy the store-brand face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 of the high-end 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold top of the two creams look noticeably comparable. While Rachael has not tested the premium cream, she claims she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

She has been buying beauty alternatives from mainstream retailers and grocery stores for some time, and she's part of a trend.

Over a 25% of UK shoppers say they've bought a beauty or cosmetic lookalike. This jumps to 44% among 18-34 year olds, according to a recent poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that copy established labels and provide cost-effective substitutes to premium products. These products frequently have comparable branding and containers, but in some cases the formulas can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty specialists argue certain substitutes to premium labels are reasonable standard and assist make beauty routines cheaper.

"In my opinion more expensive is necessarily better," says consultant dermatologist one expert. "Not every low-budget product line is inferior - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Some [dupes] are really excellent," notes Scott McGlynn, who hosts a program about celebrities.

Many of the items modeled on high-end labels "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes alternatives are fine to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.

"Dupes will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory degree."

Another skin doctor, advises you can spend less when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're likely going to be okay in using a budget alternative or something which is quite low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

But the professionals also suggest buyers investigate and note that more expensive items are occasionally worthy of the additional cost.

With premium skincare, you're not only funding the brand and promotion - often the higher price tag also stems from the components and their grade, the potency of the effective element, the science utilized to produce the product, and trials into the item's effectiveness, she says.

Skin therapist another professional says it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be offered so inexpensively.

In some cases, she says they might have less effective components that lack as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The big doubt is 'How is it so low-priced?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn admits in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known label but the item has "no connection to the luxury product".

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

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Regarding more complicated items or ones with ingredients that can inflame the complexion if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises using research-backed labels.

The expert states these typically have been through comprehensive trials to determine how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be assessed before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the brand states about the efficacy of the item, it needs evidence to support it, "but the manufacturer doesn't always have to conduct the testing" and can instead cite studies conducted by other companies, she clarifies.

Examine the Back of the Bottle

Are there any components that could suggest a item is poor?

Ingredients on the back of the container are arranged by concentration. "Ingredients to avoid that you should look out for… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up