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Rachael Parnell

When one shopper learned Aldi was launching a new beauty line that seemed comparable to products from high-end label Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She rushed to her closest shop to buy the supermarket face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a tiny percentage of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The sleek blue container and gold lid of the two products look strikingly comparable. And though she has not tested the luxury cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's part of a trend.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate established brands and provide affordable options to luxury items. These products frequently have comparable labels and design, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Necessarily Better'

Beauty specialists argue many alternatives to luxury brands are reasonable standard and aid make beauty routines more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is always superior," says consultant dermatologist Sharon Belmo. "Not all budget product line is inferior - and not every luxury skincare product is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly amazing," says a podcast host, who presents a program about celebrities.

A lot of of the products inspired by high-end labels "sell out so rapidly, it's just crazy," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert Ross Perry argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he says. "These items will do the essentials to a reasonable level."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a simple product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is very affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Sold by the Box'

However the professionals also advise buyers do their research and state that more expensive products are sometimes worth the premium price.

With luxury skincare, you're not just funding the brand and marketing - sometimes the elevated price tag also is due to the formula and their quality, the potency of the active ingredient, the technology used to create the product, and studies into the products' effectiveness, Dr Belmo explains.

Beauty expert another professional argues it's worth questioning how some alternatives can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she says they could have less effective components that do not provide as many advantages for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"The major uncertainty is 'How is it so cheap?'" she says.

Podcast host Scott admits sometimes he's bought beauty products that look similar to a big-name brand but the product itself has "little similarity to the original".

"Do not be convinced by the outer appearance," he warned.

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Regarding advanced products or ones with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C serums, Dr Bhate advises sticking to medical-grade labels.

She says these typically have been subjected to comprehensive tests to evaluate how successful they are.

Beauty products must be tested before they can be available in the UK, says consultant dermatologist another professional.

If the company advertises about the effectiveness of the product, it requires evidence to verify it, "but the brand doesn't necessarily have to do the testing" and can alternatively reference studies completed by different companies, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a product is low-quality?

Ingredients on the list of the container are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to avoid… is your petroleum-derived oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance, benzoyl peroxide" being {high up