Rachael Parnell
Upon hearing one shopper heard a discounter was selling a new skincare range that looked comparable to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".
The shopper hurried to her closest outlet to buy the store-brand face cream for £8.49 for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the Augustinus Bader 50ml item.
Its sleek blue container and gold lid of both creams look remarkably comparable. While Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's impressed by the dupe so far.
She has been purchasing skincare dupes from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's not alone.
More than a fourth of UK consumers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This rises to 44 percent among younger adults, based on a recently published poll.
Alternatives are skincare products that mimic established companies and present cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. They often have alike names and packaging, but sometimes the ingredients can change significantly.
Victoria Woollaston
Beauty experts say certain alternatives to high-end labels are good standard and help make skincare less expensive.
"In my opinion more expensive is always superior," states dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every low-budget product line is poor - and not every high-end beauty item is the finest."
"A number of [dupes] are truly impressive," adds Scott McGlynn, who presents a show about celebrities.
A lot of of the items inspired by luxury labels "run out so rapidly, it's just insane," he says.
Scott McGlynn
Aesthetic and dermatology doctor a doctor thinks dupes are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like hydrators and face washes.
"Alternatives will be effective," he explains. "These items will handle the essentials to a reasonable level."
A consultant dermatologist, thinks you can cut costs when you're looking for simple-formula items like HA, niacinamide and squalane.
"When you're purchasing a simple product then you're probably going to be fine in using a lookalike or a product which is quite inexpensive because there's minimal that can be problematic," she adds.
Yet the specialists also suggest buyers check details and say that costlier items are at times worthy of the additional cost.
With luxury beauty products, you're not only funding the name and marketing - sometimes the elevated cost also is due to the ingredients and their standard, the potency of the active ingredient, the research used to create the product, and trials into the products' efficacy, she explains.
Skin therapist she argues it's worth thinking about how certain dupes can be offered so cheaply.
In some cases, she believes they may contain filler ingredients that don't have as numerous positive effects for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.
"One big doubt is 'How is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.
Commentator Scott notes in some cases he's purchased beauty products that appear similar to a big-name label but the item has "no connection to the original".
"Do not be sold by the container," he cautioned.
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Regarding potent items or ones with ingredients that can aggravate the skin if they're not made accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, the specialist recommends sticking to research-backed companies.
The expert says these typically have been subjected to costly trials to evaluate how successful they are.
Skincare items need to be evaluated before they can be marketed in the UK, notes skin doctor another professional.
When the company advertises about the effectiveness of the item, it requires evidence to back it up, "but the seller doesn't always have to perform the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence done by different companies, she adds.
Is there any ingredients that could suggest a product is inferior?
Ingredients on the back of the bottle are arranged by quantity. "Potential irritants that you should be wary of… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up
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