A chemical sunscreen available in Europe and Asia for decades is coming to U.S. beaches, pools, barbecues and anywhere people enjoy the outdoors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) June 9 approval of bemotrizinol “is a really big deal” and will offer more robust skin protection for consumers, says a CU Anschutz dermatologist.
Bemotrizinol, a chemical filter that blocks the sun’s rays, is the first new ingredient approved by the FDA for sunscreens in two decades. It’s expected to begin appearing in sunblock products in the United States by late summer or early fall.
The takeaway:
A sunscreen ingredient that promises a less-sticky, broad-spectrum and long-lasting level of protection has been approved for use in the United States. A CU Anschutz dermatologist applauds the clearance of bemotrizinol for use in sunscreen products, noting it is the first advanced ingredient approved in this country in over two decades. Bemotrizinol has been used in Europe, Asia and Australia for many years.
“The U.S. has had only 17 approved filter UV (ultraviolet) ingredients for years,” said Theresa Pacheco, MD, professor of dermatology at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine. “It’s a little unfortunate because there are so many good ingredients that have been used in the European Union and APAC (Asian-Pacific countries), and they work.”
Because the FDA treats sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs, it has a stringent process for approving any new ingredients. In other countries, sunscreens are treated as cosmetics.
“So, the other countries just have more ingredients. They’re more advanced, and they look at data differently than our FDA,” Pacheco said. “So this is actually a really big deal. Bemotrizinol is a chemical filter. It protects against UVA and UVB. UVA are the rays that cause our wrinkles and cause skin cancer. UVB rays are the ones that burn us, but they can also cause cancer. So, typically, when you formulate a sunscreen, you have to mix ingredients to provide blocks against both types of rays.”
Lifeguards often slather their faces and other exposed skin with a pasty substance – zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These are highly opaque white minerals that provide strong UVA and UVB protection.
“It’s just that they’re kind of sticky, and they’re whitish – you look kind of chalky with those sunscreens,” Pacheco said. “So, they’re not the favorite (sun block), but they are the better ones that we have available in the U.S.”
Pacheco said bemotrizinol works by absorbing UV rays before they can damage the skin. The chemical filter rubs easily into the skin and is stable under intense sunlight, so it keeps working longer than other sunscreen ingredients.
“It also tends to stay on the surface of the skin with very little absorption into the body and has a low risk of irritation,” she said. “Because of this, bemotrizinol is considered a promising option for broad, reliable sun protection.”
In a study published in 2020, researchers discovered that six commonly used active ingredients in sunscreens could be absorbed by the bloodstream at levels beyond safety thresholds.
Pacheco said that while UVA and UVB rays can cause skin cancer, they also make the essential nutrient vitamin D.
“I like to say, ‘everything in moderation,’” she said. “You don’t want blistering sunburns because that gives rise to melanoma and other skin cancers. So, sunlight is not bad. It’s good for us, but excessive sunlight is bad because it can cause cancer, burning and aging.”
Key points:
- The FDA approved a new ingredient, bemotrizinol (or BEMT) for sunscreen products for the first time in 20 years.
- Bemotrizinol is a chemical filter that rubs easily into the skin and works by absorbing harmful UV rays.
- Bemotrizinol has been approved in Europe and Asia since 1999 and Australia since 2006.
- Other names for bemotrizinol are Tinasorb S and Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine.