Your sunscreen is outdated. The FDA has finally cleared a path to make it more effective
A sunscreen ingredient that has been used across Europe for decades can now officially come stateside. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its approval of bemotrizinol, also called BEMT, officially adding it to the list of permitted active sunscreen ingredients. It marks the first time that the FDA’s list of approved filters has been updated in more than 25 years, since 1999. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) called the change a “landmark decision for public health and consumer protection.” “This is a great day for American consumers,” David Andrews, chief science officer at EWG, said in a statement, “and everyone who has fought to improve sunscreen options and close the UVA protection gap in U.S. sunscreens.” What is Bemotrizinol? Bemotrizinol is an ingredient added to sunscreens that absorbs UV rays. The filter has been used in Europe and Asia since 1999, often appearing under brand names like Parsol Shield and Tinosorb. The FDA approval kicks off 18 months of exclusive marketing rights for Parsol Shield in the United States; that bemotrizinol formulation is made by European skincare company DSM-Fermenich. Sunscreens come in two main types: mineral and chemical. Mineral sunscreens are often thicker and known for leaving a white cast on the skin. They use ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to reflect ultraviolet light. Chemical sunscreens instead use ingredients that absorb those UV rays while preventing them from actually reaching into your skin, and these sunscreens tend to be transparent and can have better water resistance. Bemotrizinol is a chemical sunscreen filter; other chemical sunscreen ingredients include oxybenzone and avobenzone. According to EWG, mineral ingredient zinc oxide and chemical filter avobenzone are the only two UV filters in U.S. sunscreens that provide “meaningful UVA protection.” The FDA approval of BEMT is noteworthy because it addresses issues other filters have. As a chemical sunscreen, it do