In a long-overdue public health win for the American consumer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved bemotrizinol on June 9, 2026 — the first new sunscreen active ingredient to receive FDA clearance in the United States in more than 25 years. The approval gives Americans access to a UV-filtering chemical compound that has been used safely in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world for decades.

"For decades, Americans have used outdated sunscreen tech while the rest of the world moved forward," said David Andrews of the Environmental Working Group, which has spent years advocating for the FDA to expand its list of approved sunscreen ingredients. "The approval of bemotrizinol will help change that."

The announcement was confirmed simultaneously by ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News on June 9.

What Bemotrizinol Is and Why It Matters

Bemotrizinol — also known by the abbreviation BEMT and the brand name Parsol Shield — is a non-mineral, broad-spectrum UV filter that blocks both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. What sets it apart from most current U.S. sunscreens is its UVA performance.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, driving premature aging, suppressing the immune system, and serving as a primary contributor to skin cancer. Traditional U.S. sunscreens have historically excelled at blocking UVB rays — the ones that cause visible sunburns — but have routinely underperformed on UVA protection. Research cited by CNN and the Environmental Working Group found that most U.S. sunscreens provide only about one-quarter of the UVA protection their SPF labels suggest.

Bemotrizinol fills that gap. Unlike avobenzone, currently the only non-mineral filter approved in the United States that provides meaningful UVA coverage, bemotrizinol is highly photostable — meaning it does not break down when exposed to sunlight, maintaining its protective effectiveness throughout a day at the beach, on a construction site, or at an outdoor event.

"Bemotrizinol changes the calculus of sun care," Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement to CNN. "It is highly photostable — unlike avobenzone... Better yet, unlike older non-mineral filters, it can be combined with zinc oxide to provide strong broad-spectrum protection with less white cast."

The ingredient is also non-mineral, meaning it does not leave the white residue associated with mineral-based sunscreens — a key advantage for daily use and for users with darker skin tones.

When Will Bemotrizinol Reach Shelves?

According to CBS News and Medscape, bemotrizinol will initially be sold in the United States by Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products under the brand name Parsol Shield, expected to launch later in 2026. After an 18-month exclusivity period, the ingredient will become available for use by other sunscreen manufacturers.

The FDA's Medscape report notes that starting August 9, 2026, sunscreen manufacturers may include bemotrizinol as an active ingredient in their products. The ingredient is approved for use in adults and children 6 months and older.

Murad Alam, MD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, called it "an important public health step" in a statement, noting that skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and that better sunscreens directly translate to fewer skin cancer deaths. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, with the Melanoma Research Foundation estimating more than 200,000 cases of both types of melanoma in 2026.

This approval is the first to succeed through a streamlined FDA review process authorized by Congress in 2020 — a process created specifically because the existing FDA approval pathway for sunscreen ingredients had been widely criticized as excessively slow, having left Americans without access to ingredients available in other developed countries for decades.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is bemotrizinol and why is it significant?

A: Bemotrizinol is a new FDA-approved sunscreen ingredient that provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. It is the first new sunscreen active ingredient approved in the U.S. in more than 25 years.

Q: When will bemotrizinol products be available in stores?

A: DSM Nutritional Products' Parsol Shield brand is expected to launch later in 2026. Other manufacturers can begin using the ingredient starting August 9, 2026.

Q: Is bemotrizinol safe for children?

A: Yes. The FDA has approved it for use in adults and children 6 months and older.

Q: Why did it take so long for this ingredient to get approved in the U.S.?

A: Sunscreen ingredients are regulated as drugs in the United States, requiring a more extensive approval process than in Europe and other countries where they are classified as cosmetics. Congress streamlined the process in 2020, and bemotrizinol is the first ingredient to succeed under those new rules.

Q: How is bemotrizinol better than current U.S. sunscreens?

A: It is highly photostable (won't break down in the sun), provides superior UVA protection compared to most current options, leaves less white cast than mineral sunscreens, and can be combined with zinc oxide for strong broad-spectrum coverage.