FDA Approves Bemotrizinol as New Sunscreen Ingredient, First Addition in Over 20 Years
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved bemotrizinol (BEMT), a broad-spectrum UV filter, as a permitted active sunscreen ingredient — the first such addition since 1999. The chemical has been widely used in Europe, Asia, and Australia for decades but faced a lengthy U.S. regulatory process because sunscreens are classified as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics. The approval is significant because bemotrizinol blocks both UVA and UVB rays on its own, is more photostable than existing chemical filters, and has low skin absorption, potentially addressing both efficacy gaps and safety concerns that have fueled sunscreen skepticism in recent years.
The FDA announced on June 9, 2026 that bemotrizinol — also known as BEMT or Tinosorb S — meets its 'generally recognized as safe and effective' (GRASE) standard for use in sunscreens by adults and children six months and older, at concentrations up to 6%. It is the first ingredient to clear the FDA's streamlined approval pathway created by Congress in 2020, and the first new sunscreen active ingredient approved since the late 1990s, bringing the total number of permitted active sunscreen ingredients in the U.S. to 17, still well below Europe's 30-plus. Unlike existing U.S. chemical filters, which protect against either UVA or UVB but not both, bemotrizinol is broad-spectrum on its own and highly photostable, meaning it degrades more slowly in sunlight than ingredients like avobenzone. Its larger molecular size also limits absorption into the bloodstream, a key concern that has driven consumer distrust of chemical sunscreens since a 2019 FDA-linked study found several common ingredients penetrating the body at potentially concerning levels. Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products will sell bemotrizinol under the brand name Parsol Shield, with products expected on U.S. shelves by late 2026; after an 18-month exclusivity period, other manufacturers may incorporate it into their formulations. The approval was welcomed across the political spectrum, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental health advocates, dermatologists, and industry groups all praising the move, though critics noted the original application was filed in 2005 and called for faster regulatory reform going forward.
What's missing
While several sources note that four chemical sunscreen ingredients currently on the U.S. market — avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate — still lack GRASE status and have not been formally re-evaluated since 2019, none of the sources detail a concrete FDA timeline for resolving those outstanding safety determinations. Additionally, one source flags that BEMT may degrade in pool water and that the safety of resulting chemical by-products is not yet fully understood, but no source provides detail on when or whether the FDA plans to study this.
How coverage differed
Most outlets framed the approval as straightforwardly positive news for consumers, but right-leaning Reason and the libertarian-leaning Hacker News piece emphasized regulatory failure and argued for structural reforms such as international drug reciprocity, while left-leaning outlets like Vox and KFF Health News gave more attention to the broader context of sunscreen misinformation, the MAHA movement, and the irony of RFK Jr. endorsing the approval given his past anti-sunscreen rhetoric.
What different sources said
- ScienceAlertCenter
FDA Approves First New Sunscreen Ingredient in Decades
- NBC NewsLeft
FDA allows popular sunscreen ingredient long used in Europe and Asia
- KFF Health NewsCenter
FDA’s Greenlight of Old Chemical Offers Chance To Restore Faith in Sunscreen
- Fox NewsRight
Americans to get new sunscreen option already used abroad for decades
- CBS NewsCenter
Doctor explains why bemotrizinol, a sunscreen ingredient, took so long to be authorized
- YnetnewsCenter
FDA approves long-used sunscreen already sold in Israel and Europe after 25-year delay
- ReasonRight
The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
- The HillCenter
FDA approves first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 20 years
- STAT NewsCenter
FDA OKs first new sunscreen ingredient in more than 25 years
- ABC NewsCenter
FDA green-lights 1st new sunscreen ingredient in years
- VoxLeft
The US just got its first new sunscreen in almost 30 years
- Scientific AmericanCenter
How the new FDA-approved ingredient bemotrizinol enhances sunscreen protection
- Business InsiderLeft
The FDA just glowed up your sunscreen — by approving a popular ingredient in European and Asian formulas
- The CutCenter
Sunscreens in the U.S. Might Finally Be Getting Better
- NPR NewsLeft
4 things to know about the new sunscreen ingredient the FDA approved
- Hacker NewsCenter
European sunscreens are safer than American
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