MANY of us make conscious decisions everyday that we believe will make us healthier inside and out. However, so many of us go through our daily make up routine without so much as a second thought as to what we are applying to our skin, oblivious to the harm it may be doing.

That's why it's time to make ourselves aware. The term 'organic' seems to have been popping up everywhere over the last few years, from organic food to organic cosmetics. It is now so easy to label something as organic, even if less than half of the product is made from natural ingredients, which is what organic means. Big brands are relying on people trusting them and not questioning the big green label, guessing we'll either be too busy or lazy to bother consulting the ingredients list.

One safe way to tell whether a product really is as natural as it claims to be is by searching for the USDA seal. USDA stands for the United States Department of Agriculture, and this seal can be found on products that are 95% organic, or more. Anything below 95% will not be given this label.

Alternatively, you could always have a skim through the ingredients to try and spot anything that doesn't sound so organic, such as mercury, lead, alcohol or aluminium. These four chemicals are all chemicals that can be found in our make up bag, and each one is harmful to our skin. Take a look at Elizabeth I; her foundation was a killer. The lead used in her white face make up was absorbed through the skin and is believed to have killed her.

Aside from not being agents of death, there are many benefits to organic make up. First and foremost, natural ingredients will not irritate your skin or have the potential to cause allergic reactions in the way that synthetic based make up will. Studies have shown that those who use organic make up believe their skin to look and feel better. Ingredients are purely natural, so what harm can they do? Besides, many minerals from the earth are good for the skin.

Also, for all you environmentalists out there, organic make up is definitely great for the planet as it is biodegradable. If you were to root through your make up bag and throw out any old chemical based foundation or eyeshadow, this would not break down in the way natural ingredients do, and will therefore have a harmful effect on the world we live in. Not to mention any poor little rabbit that finds itself nibbling your old lipstick.

However, organic make up can be a little more expensive than usual make up, and not to mention hard to find. The Body Shop are very much environmentally aware, and have their own organic skin care brand, Nutriganics. Also, they have some mineral based foundations such as Nature's Minerals Foundation, Eye Colour and Cheek powder as well as others. Other organic sites include Green People, who do a whole organic make up and skin care range, and lovelula.com. The Organic Pharmacy do some wonderful creams, including the Carrot Butter, which safely removes make up and leaves skin feeling deliciously smooth afterwards.

So why not give organic a go yourself. Those fluffy bunnies will thank you later.