The FDA added bemotrizinol to its list of authorized sunscreen chemicals
Luminous oils, tinted creams, misting sprays, chalk sticks, light gels. As many people prepare for summer, my pool bag contains a surprising variety of sunscreens. They come in different forms, but all rely on a handful of the same sunscreen ingredients. In the United States, this list of ingredients hasn’t changed in 20 years – until today.
In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a new chemical, bemotrizinol, to the list of permitted sunscreen ingredients. “I think we should all be very excited,” says Tanya Hathaway, a dermatologist at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle who specializes in high-risk skin cancer patients.
Bemotrizinol lasts longer than some other sunscreen ingredients, is not easily absorbed into the bloodstream, and provides a new line of defense against the type of solar radiation that ages skin.
This sunscreen ingredient has been available in Europe for more than 25 years, says Hathaway. It has since become available in Japan, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. Bemotrizinol’s entry into the U.S. market could pave the way for other sunscreen ingredients regularly used around the world. The FDA’s action, Hathaway said, “is an important first step.”
Bemotrizinol is a chemical sunscreen
Sunscreens rely on a few different tricks to protect people’s skin. Physical sunscreens use minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They create a protective barrier that reflects the sun’s rays like a mirror diverting light. But they can leave a white sheen on the skin — think of a lifeguard’s nose, says Jennifer Stein, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health. “One of the problems with zinc and titanium is that they don’t integrate very well,” she says. “And if people don’t like the smell or feel of their sunscreen, they won’t use it.”
Chemical sunscreens, which often penetrate a little better, use molecules like avobenzone and oxybenzone to absorb solar radiation. These molecules are not very stable. When sunlight hits them, they start to break down, Stein says, which is not ideal for a product meant to be used in the sun. Bemotrizinol is more stable than its chemical counterparts, meaning people may not need to apply it as often.
The new ingredient is also able to block a type of solar radiation called ultraviolet A1 (UVA1), which penetrates deep into the skin. This radiation can cause damage called photoaging, Hathaway says, which includes “your skin wrinkles, your skin sagging, your pigmentation changes.” Current U.S. sunscreens do a good job of blocking UVB, which causes burning, but we have fewer options for blocking UVA, she says. Bemotrizinol “really extends the UVA coverage spectrum.”
Is bemotrizinol safe?
You may have seen influencers on TikTok or Instagram making DIY sunscreens or calling commercial brand ingredients “toxic.” Skepticism about sun protection on social media is nothing new. In Stein’s experience, patients who avoid sunscreen tend to worry about the chemicals. passing through the skin. This occurs with certain chemical ingredients, such as avobenzone and oxybenzone. “If you apply them to large areas of the body repeatedly throughout the day, they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.”
But that doesn’t necessarily mean people should fear using them. “There have never been any studies showing that the ingredients currently on the market are unsafe,” Hathaway says. The FDA says more data is needed for these and other chemical sunscreens. But not bemotrizinol; It joins the minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as the only three sunscreen ingredients generally recognized as safe and effective, a category the FDA calls GRASE.
Bemotrizinol “is a large molecule,” Stein says, “which means it’s too big to pass through skin cells and enter your bloodstream.”
The FDA’s new rule regarding bemotrizinol takes effect on August 9, so sunscreens containing this ingredient could be on the market by the end of summer. However, better than a fancy new sunscreen, there are a number of low-tech options that are all available today: long sleeves, hats, sunglasses, sunglasses. “The more clothes you wear,” Stein says, “the less you have to rely on sunscreen.”
