Two natural beauty experts have said it is important for shoppers to have a buyer's guide for organic cosmetics because they face a huge amount of choice.

Jo Fairley and Sarah Stacey, the editors of The Green Beauty Bible, told the Ecologist that eco-friendly shoppers looking for natural beauty products can find the market confusing.

They added that it can often be difficult to tell if a product is really as natural as it may appear from the packaging.

Ms Stacey said: "There are now an extraordinary number of products. But just because a product has a tomato on the label it doesn't mean it's natural."

It can be difficult to judge the environmental credentials of natural beauty products just by reading the label unless you happen to carry around a list of ingredients to avoid, they noted.

A recent report from Organic Monitor found that the natural beauty products market in the UK now generates £110 million a year.

The firm will hold a summit in Germany next month to face the key issue of how to keep the industry sustainable.