Purchasing truly organic natural beauty products is the only way that shoppers can be guaranteed that they are not exposing themselves to harmful ingredients.

This is the view of Now magazine's Ecoholic writer Adria Vasil, who pointed out that the majority of brands now leave out certain chemicals from their goods in a bid to win favour with consumers.

For instance, she said advertising the fact that products are free of sodium laurel sulphate has become something of a buzzword for beauty product manufacturers, but omitting this ingredient does not automatically make moisturisers and other skin care creams healthier.

Consequently, she advised that consumers should opt for organic natural beauty products if they are concerned about the chemicals they could be putting on their skin.

"The only way to stay truly pure is exactly that - go for fully food-grade ingredients," she said.

Last week, Associated Content writer Tom Jones also noted that the majority of manufacturers now steer clear of potentially harmful substances such as petrochemicals, synthetic preservatives and mineral oils.