US catches up to rest of world with first new FDA-approved sunscreen in decades

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved the first new sunscreen filter in more than two decades, sparking industry wide excitement. And while this ingredient will be new to the U.S., it’s far from new to the market internationally. 

The FDA broke a 27-year dry spell on Tuesday when it added bemotrizinol, sold under the brand name PARSOL® Shield, to its list of permitted sunscreen active ingredients. In December, the agency had indicated plans to approve bemotrizinol, with former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary saying at the time that action had “moved too slowly in this area.” 

The ingredient has been available in Europe since 2000. 

The approval request was submitted by the Swiss-Dutch multinational company DSM-Firmenich. The company will have exclusive marketing rights to bemotrizinol for the first 18 months after it’s approved. As an ingredient manufacturer, it will be the sole supplier of this filter for that time, and at least one company has confirmed plans to incorporate bemotrizinol into its product line. 

The American Academy of Dermatology lauded the new approval, saying in a statement, “The FDA announcement follows longstanding and ongoing advocacy by the American Academy of Dermatology Association to ensure that U.S. consumers have more options to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful UV rays.” 

Here’s what to know about bemotrizinol: 

What is bemotrizinol?

UV filters fall into two categories: mineral sunscreens like zinc and titanium oxide, and chemical filters, also referred to as organic filters. 

Bemotrizinol falls into the latter category. Unlike most other organic filters available on the U.S. market, bemotrizinol is a broad-spectrum filter, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVC radiation. 

While mineral filters are very........

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