If passed, the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 could make many beauty products a whole lot safer—and give you the chance to make a wise purchasing decision. Here are the top ways the proposal from Representatives Jan Schakowsky from Illinois and Edward Markey from Massachusetts would clamp down on the cosmetics industry:

• Under current legislation, cosmetics companies can use nearly any ingredient in cosmetics, even those linked to serious health problems. This act aims to eliminate potential carcinogens, along with ingredients linked to birth defects, that appear in everything from shampoo to lipgloss.

• Demand safety standards for all ingredients to protect children

• Require stricter labeling guidelines, requiring companies not only to list all ingredients, including fragrances

• Provide funding to the FDA Office of Cosmetics and Colors so that it can regulate the industry

• Provide worker's with access to information about harmful ingredients they may be working with