The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new sunscreen ingredient, bemotrizinol, after nearly two decades of consideration. This approval is expected to increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products.

What is Bemotrizinol?

Bemotrizinol is a chemical filter that has been used safely in Europe for decades. It makes sunscreens sheerer and lighter on the skin than many available American options while blocking a wider spectrum of ultraviolet rays that can cause premature aging and skin cancer.

Health officials hope that the approval of bemotrizinol will help restore Americans’ faith in sunscreen. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “Bemotrizinol has been used safely in Europe for decades. FDA’s action will increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products.”

Impact on the Sunscreen Industry

The approval of bemotrizinol is expected to have a significant impact on the sunscreen industry. Companies will be able to reformulate sunscreens to address consumers’ concerns, such as the white cast left by some mineral sunscreens. The new ingredient will also allow companies to offer sunscreens that are more like sought-after South Korean brands.

However, the approval of bemotrizinol does not change the fact that several chemicals with unclear safety profiles are still being used in sunscreens. The FDA has said that there is insufficient data to support a positive “generally recognized as safe and effective” determination for 12 commonly used sunscreen chemicals.

Some of these chemicals, such as avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate, have been associated with health concerns, including disruption of the endocrine system and allergic reactions. The European Union has recently concluded that homosalate is not safe at concentrations that it was being used and recommended a very low percentage, effectively banning it.

Conclusion

The approval of bemotrizinol is a step in the right direction for the sunscreen industry. However, more needs to be done to address the concerns surrounding the safety of sunscreen chemicals. Consumers should be aware of the ingredients in their sunscreens and choose products that use safe and effective ingredients.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.