The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new sunscreen ingredient for the first time in more than 25 years, according to a report by CBS News.
The ingredient, bemotrizinol, met the FDA's safety standards for protecting against ultraviolet rays while causing little irritation or absorption into the skin. The agency said it is safe for adults and children 6 months and older.
Bemotrizinol will initially be sold in the United States by Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products under the brand name Parsol Shield. The product is expected to launch later this year. After an 18-month exclusivity period, other manufacturers will be able to use the ingredient.
European health authorities approved bemotrizinol in 1999. DSM first filed with the FDA for review in 2005. The company ran a new round of FDA-requested studies beginning in 2019. The approval came through a streamlined process that Congress authorized in 2020, making bemotrizinol the first ingredient to clear that path.
Efforts to introduce new sunscreen products had been slowed for decades by the FDA's system for updating its lists of approved nonprescription drug ingredients.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy praised the decision.
"Bemotrizinol has been used safely in Europe for decades, and FDA's action will increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products," Kennedy said in a statement.
Experts say bemotrizinol fills a gap in the U.S. market. Currently available chemical sunscreen ingredients only protect against one type of ultraviolet ray, either UVA or UVB, and companies mix them to achieve broad-spectrum protection. Mineral-based options like zinc oxide block both but leave a chalky white residue on the skin. Bemotrizinol blocks both UVA and UVB without the white streaks.
CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook noted that bemotrizinol also breaks down more slowly in sunlight than existing sunscreens, meaning its protection lasts longer.
David Andrews of the Environmental Working Group welcomed the decision.
"For decades, Americans have used outdated sunscreen tech while the rest of the world moved forward. The approval of bemotrizinol will help change that," Andrews said.
