Sunscreens in the U.S. could be in line for a long overdue update. On Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to permit the use of bemotrizinol, a broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) chemical filter. The ingredient is well known for its effectiveness and is already used in many popular sunscreen brands produced in other parts of the world, such as Asia and Europe. That’s why social media is rife with “sunscreen haul” videos of Americans showing off their Asian- and European-made lotions and sprays.
In the announcement, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said that the agency “has historically moved too slowly in this area, leaving Americans with fewer options than consumers abroad.” Compared with Europe’s more than 30 approved UV-filtering ingredients, the U.S. has only 16, with the last active ingredient approved in 1999. Bemotrizinol was approved in Europe in 2000 and has been shown to be safe and effective. Sunscreens with bemotrizinol also tend to have a lighter weight and to be longer lasting and less greasy than those with other ingredients.
The proposal, which comes after years of attempts to overhaul U.S. sunscreen regulation, would allow sunscreen products with bemotrizinol to be sold over the counter in the U.S., perhaps bringing an end to the criticism that the country has lagged behind on sunscreen.
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Part of the reason why the U.S. has seemed behind Europe and Asia on sun protection is because the FDA treats sunscreen as a drug, which means that it is tightly regulated and that new products need to be extensively tested, dermatologist Samer Jaber told Scientific American in 2023.
Sunscreen protects people from harmful UV rays from the sun that can cause skin cancer. Mineral sunscreens effectively “block” the sun’s radiation from penetrating the skin, while chemical sunscreens sink into the skin and absorb the rays. Some chemical sunscreen ingredients are effective in filtering out UVA, or longer-wave ultraviolet light from the sun, while others are more attuned to shorter UVB waves. Bemotrizinol can filter both, offering broad-spectrum protection. The FDA says that sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher helps prevent sunburn and reduces skin cancer risk.