For the first time since 1999, a new sunscreen ingredient is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) next year.
This news broke at the 20th annual Sunscreen Symposium, which was presented in September by the Florida Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. It’s a very big deal because the regulatory landscape in the U.S., where sunscreens are regulated like drugs, not cosmetics, is quite complex. For this reason and others, cosmetic chemists have been working with a limited toolbox when it comes to formulating sun protection.
For the last quarter century, there have been 16 listed active sunscreen ingredients (also known as filters), but only half of them are commonly used in modern formulations. Even fewer of them are considered “truly useful,” as one cosmetic chemist put it. Compare that to the European Union, where formulators have over 30 approved ingredients at their disposal, including advanced options like bisoctrizole, which provides broad-spectrum protection and is very stable. Formulators in Japan are also choosing from more than 30 options.
“The issue with the lack of filters in our country hasn’t just been that choice is a nice thing to have – it’s that many of the filters that have been used abroad for years are more elegant to work with, and simply more effective at protecting our skin from the sun,” writes Kelly A. Dobos, a cosmetic chemist and educator with more than 20 years of experience.
A 2017 study that tested 20 U.S. sunscreens found that only 11 of them could meet the European Union’s standards for UV protection.
This new ingredient is called Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, or bemotrizinol for short. Bemotrizinol stays stable longer and provides better broad-spectrum protection than any sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S.
If you’ve traveled abroad, you may have already experienced the benefits of bemotrizinol. In the European Union, it’s found in La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios line of sunscreens. It’s also used in the original, Japanese version of Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen SPF 50.
The manufacturer of bemotrizinol, DSM-Firmenich, has been working to get this ingredient – which they’ve branded as Parsol Shield – approved in the U.S. for around two decades, which is about how long it’s been safely used in other countries. If the approval process continues at the current rate, we may see new sunscreen products with bemotrizinol in the second half of 2026.
In other important news from the symposium, sunscreen testing methods are getting smarter. Traditionally, researchers apply sunscreen to volunteers then expose them to UV light until their skin turns red. This is not only ethically questionable, it’s not inclusive. It’s much harder to recognize reddening with darker skin tones, so testing almost exclusively involves white panelists.
New methods using UV spectroscopy – a tool that helps scientists study how light interacts with different compounds – are leading to more accurate and inclusive results. “These new methods may also improve the reliability and consistency of sunscreen testing while helping create more consistent global standards,” Dobos says. But first they need to be approved by the FDA, which, based on the agency’s average speed on sunscreen-related approvals, could take years.
A Bald Head Needs Love, Too