The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new sunscreen ingredient, bemotrizinol, or BEMT, which has been used safely in Europe for decades. This approval is expected to increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products.

What is Bemotrizinol?

Bemotrizinol is a chemical filter that provides adequate UVA protection, is not easily absorbed into the skin, and has the most robust safety data on any UV filter to date. According to Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, bemotrizinol is a safer option than many chemical ingredients currently in use in the United States.

The approval of bemotrizinol is welcome news to many, as there are few choices on US store shelves that are both safe and effective. Sunscreens on US store shelves today excel at blocking ultraviolet B rays, but critics say they routinely fail to shield against deep-penetrating ultraviolet A, or UVA rays, which drive premature aging, suppress the immune system, and are the primary contributor to skin cancer.

Benefits of Bemotrizinol

Bemotrizinol is highly photostable, meaning it won’t break down when hot summer sun hits your skin, unlike avobenzone, currently the only non-mineral filter in the US that provides meaningful UVA coverage. It can also be combined with zinc oxide to provide strong broad spectrum protection with less white cast.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.