People apply sunscreen during Opera in the Park in San Francisco in 2017. For the first time in 20 years, the FDA has approved a new sunscreen ingredient for U.S. consumers.
Michael Short/For the S.F. Chronicle
The Food and Drug Administration this week approved the use of a new sunscreen ingredient for U.S. consumers for the first time in 20 years.
Called bemotrizinol, or BEMT, it’s a filter that protects skin against harmful ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) rays from the sun. Many dermatologists and researchers are excited about its entry into the U.S. market, and hope it will lead to more consistent sunscreen use.
Article continues below this ad
1. Bemotrizinol is different — and in some ways advantageous — compared to what’s currently available in U.S. sunscreens.
While many U.S. sunscreens provide broad-spectrum coverage — meaning they shield against UVA and UVB rays, which damage skin in different ways — this often requires combining multiple filters.
Having bemotrizinol as a single ingredient that provides broad coverage on its own could give manufacturers more flexibility to make formulations that don’t result in a white cast, that ashy film often left behind on skin. That issue is prevalent with “mineral” or “natural” sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide — and makes those sunscreens unappealing for many consumers, especially people of color.
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
BEMT is a chemical filter, so sunscreens that use it would be categorized as “chemical” or “non-mineral.” Chemical sunscreens are banned in some places, including the island of Maui, because they’re harmful to marine life.
Article continues below this ad
“The main reason we’re excited about (bemotrizinol) is because it provides broad and stable coverage for both UVB and UVA,” said Dr. Sungat Grewal, a dermatologic surgeon at UCSF. “Among the chemical filters as an isolated ingredient, it’s an MVP because it provides great breadth of coverage and will do its job more effectively because it’s more photostable,” meaning it doesn’t degrade as much when exposed to sunlight.
Potentially, formulators will have more leeway with BEMT to make sunscreen that looks, feels and smells nice.
This is important because you have to enjoy wearing your sunscreen for it to become part of your daily routine, Grewal said.
2. Many European and Asian countries have used bemotrizinol in sunscreens for decades.
Bemotrizinol has been used in sunscreens across Europe and Asia since 1999 and has amassed a strong safety track record abroad, according to the nonprofit research and advocacy group Environmental Working Group, which has urged the FDA for years to allow BEMT in U.S. sunscreens.
Article continues below this ad
The reason it’s taken the FDA so much longer to approve BEMT is because the U.S. regulates sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug, while many other countries regulate it as a cosmetic. This means there’s a higher threshold that safety data must meet in order to get approval in the U.S. — a historically slow process, according to Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist at EWG.
3. Sunscreens with bemotrizinol probably won’t be widely available in the U.S. for a while.
It may take several months or longer for sunscreen manufacturers to incorporate bemotrizinol in their U.S. products.
“Formulations take time,” Friedman said. She estimates sunscreen with bemotrizinol will, at the earliest, become available in the U.S. around the end of the year or, more likely, in 2027.
At that time, consumers shopping for sunscreen with bemotrizinol should look for the words “bemotrizinol” or “BEMT” in the active ingredient list. It may also appear as “PARSOL Shield,” the trade name of the ingredient made by the Dutch skincare company, DSM, that applied for the FDA approval.
Article continues below this ad
As part of the approval, DSM will have 18 months of market exclusivity in the U.S., meaning they will be the supplier of bemotrizinol and brands will buy it from them. After 18 months, other brands can sell their own version of bemotrizinol.
4. It shouldn’t overhaul the way you choose sunscreen.
“This doesn’t rewrite our rules of sun protection,” Grewal said. “It’s just going to give us more options.”
In other words, there’s no need to throw out your current sunscreen.
Article continues below this ad
When shopping for sunscreens, Grewal recommends keeping it simple: Look for a tinted broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s at least SPF 30. Tinted sunscreens contain ingredients that block visible indoor light, such as light from your computer or phone screen. Visible light may contribute to pigmentation like melasma — a common cosmetic concern, not a health one.
“Put (sunscreen) on everyday after you brush your teeth,” Grewal said. “The brand doesn’t matter. Just buy one you love that you’ll wear everyday.”