For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S.
The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol; "It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers," said Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle.
Bemotrizinol blocks both UVA and UVB rays and is photo stable, and Rogers said, "So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left," while still advising people to reapply every two hours.
Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist who teaches at the University of Cincinnati, said U.S. sunscreens have generally relied on an ingredient called avobenzone to block UVA rays, and Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, said avobenzone "can release molecules that lead to skin irritation" as it breaks down.
Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades, and the approval required a lengthy U.S. process because sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics; Dobos said, "It's really expensive and time consuming," and the European company DSM-Firmenich spent at least $18 million over more than two decades to seek FDA approval.
Friedman said bemotrizinol has more safety data than any other chemical sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S.; she said animal testing showed no reproductive-harm concerns and clinical testing found the ingredient does not irritate the skin after repeated application, and that its larger molecules are not readily absorbed into the bloodstream, which she called important given that studies have shown some other chemical filters can be absorbed and prompted calls for more safety data.
Rogers said, "We just need to have sunscreen that people will use, that they'll trust," and Friedman said, "This ingredient is exciting because we have that data to support its safety."
DSM-Firmenich has exclusive rights to market bemotrizinol in the U.S. for 18 months, it will be sold under the brand name Parsol Shield, and the company says the first products containing the ingredient should start hitting American store shelves around September.