The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signed off on the first new sunscreen ingredient for the US market in over 25 years. Bemotrizinol, a skin-protecting chemical long used in Europe and other parts of the world, has met the agency’s standards for protecting against dangerous ultraviolet rays while causing little irritation or absorption into the skin.

What is Bemotrizinol?

Bemotrizinol will initially be sold in the US by the Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products under the brand name Parsol Shield, which is expected to launch later in the year. After an 18-month exclusivity period, the ingredient will be available for use by other manufacturers. Experts say bemotrizinol will fill an important niche in the US market: protecting against both ultraviolet A and B rays while not leaving white streaks associated with mineral-based sunscreens.

Under FDA rules, all sunscreens must protect against UVB rays, which cause most sunburn, as well as UVA rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer and wrinkles. Currently available chemical-blocking ingredients only protect against one or the other. Companies generally mix the chemicals in combination to achieve broad spectrum protection. Mineral-based ingredients, including zinc oxide, block both UVA and UVB but leave a chalky white residue.

FDA’s Streamlined Process

Bemotrizinol is the first ingredient to go through a streamlined process authorized by Congress in 2020. The FDA has been gradually updating its standards for sunscreens. In 2011, the agency banned terms like waterproof, which regulators said was misleading, and required that all sunscreens filter out UVA and UVB rays. Previously, some formulas only protected against UVB.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.