For the first time in more than a quarter century, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new active ingredient for use in sunscreens. On June 9, 2026, the FDA added bemotrizinol — also known as BEMT or Parsol Shield — to its list of permitted sunscreen ingredients, marking a watershed moment for American sun protection. The ingredient has been a staple in European, Asian, and Australian sunscreens for over two decades, and its arrival in the United States promises to close a significant gap in UV protection that has left American consumers behind the rest of the world.
Bemotrizinol is the first new sunscreen filter approved in the U.S. since 1999, and it's the first organic (chemical) filter to receive the FDA's "Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective" (GRASE) designation. Here's everything you need to know about this breakthrough ingredient.
What Is Bemotrizinol and How Does It Work?
Bemotrizinol is a broad-spectrum organic UV filter that absorbs ultraviolet radiation and converts it into heat, which is then safely released from the skin. Unlike most chemical sunscreens currently available in the United States, which protect against either UVA or UVB rays but rarely both, bemotrizinol covers the full UV spectrum on its own.
"What's so exciting about this new BEMT filter is that it has more coverage in that UVA spectrum," says Dr. Saranya Wyles, a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays and are responsible for premature aging, wrinkles, and DNA damage that contributes to skin cancer. UVB rays, on the other hand, cause sunburns and genetic mutations. Current U.S. sunscreens offer only about 24 percent of the protection indicated on SPF labels against UVA radiation, according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group.
Bemotrizinol has two absorption peaks — at 310 nm and 340 nm — allowing it to efficiently capture both UVB and UVA rays. It is also highly photostable, meaning it does not break down when exposed to sunlight, unlike many traditional chemical filters such as avobenzone that degrade and require frequent reapplication.
Timeline: How Bemotrizinol Finally Made It to the U.S.
The journey of bemotrizinol to American store shelves spans nearly three decades. The ingredient was developed in the late 1990s by the now-defunct Switzerland-based company Ciba Specialty Chemicals. The European Union approved it for use in sunscreens in 2000, and Canada and several Asian countries followed soon after. An application for U.S. approval was filed with the FDA in 2005 — but it would take another 21 years for that application to be approved.
The delay highlights the challenges of the U.S. regulatory system for sunscreens, which the FDA classifies as over-the-counter drugs. The agency's last new sunscreen ingredient approval before bemotrizinol was in 1999. In December 2025, the FDA finally proposed adding bemotrizinol to the permitted ingredients list, and on June 9, 2026, issued its final order — just seven months after the proposal.
"This is exactly the kind of progress we can achieve when we modernize our processes and apply sound science to regulatory decisions," said Dr. Mike Davis, Acting Director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Bemotrizinol is the first new active ingredient added to an OTC monograph under the streamlined process established by the CARES Act.
Why This Ingredient Is a Game-Changer for Sun Protection
The arrival of bemotrizinol addresses several long-standing shortcomings of American sunscreens. Currently, U.S. chemical filters protect against either UVA or UVB — not both — so products must combine multiple filters to achieve broad-spectrum protection. Mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) offer broad-spectrum coverage but are notorious for leaving a white, chalky cast on the skin.
Bemotrizinol solves both problems: it provides true broad-spectrum protection on its own and is transparent on the skin. "Like other organic UV filters, BEMT is designed to be transparent on skin and does not inherently leave a white cast," says Joshua Williams, Ph.D., Associate Director of Sun Care Clinical Science at Kenvue, the parent company of Neutrogena.
The ingredient is also expected to enable lighter, more elegant sunscreen formulations. "BEMT gives formulators greater flexibility to create new elegant and lightweight sunscreen textures," Williams adds. "It allows formulators to achieve high sun protection efficacy while being able to rebalance levels of certain ingredients like oils."
Perhaps most importantly, bemotrizinol has an exceptional safety profile. Its molecular weight exceeds 500 daltons, making it too large to easily penetrate the skin barrier. "BEMT exceeds this limit quite well," says AJ Addae, a chemist and doctoral candidate at UCLA who studies cosmetics and sunscreen formulations. "I think that's likely a large reason why the GRASE status was on the table for this particular filter." The FDA's review found that bemotrizinol has "low risk of systemic toxicity due to minimal absorption" and "a favorable safety profile with minimal skin irritation or sensitization."
The Environmental Working Group, which has been a vocal critic of U.S. sunscreen regulations, praised the approval. "This is a great day for American consumers and everyone who has fought to improve sunscreen options and close the UVA protection gap in U.S. sunscreens," said David Andrews, the organization's chief science officer.
Where Things Stand Now: When Can You Buy BEMT Sunscreens?
The FDA's final order includes a 60-day waiting period before products containing bemotrizinol can be sold. However, sunscreen manufacturers have already begun developing formulations. Solésence, a manufacturer of SPF skincare products, says it has "already begun experimenting with and developing concept formulas with bemotrizinol." Neutrogena plans to integrate the filter into its sunscreen innovation pipeline.
Consumers can expect to see bemotrizinol on store shelves by the end of 2026, according to DSM-Firmenich, the ingredient manufacturer that submitted the FDA request. For the first 18 months, the ingredient will be available exclusively under the trademarked name Parsol Shield, a proprietary formulation owned by DSM-Firmenich. After that, it will appear on ingredient labels as BEMT, bemotrizinol, or bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine.
The FDA has approved bemotrizinol for use at concentrations up to 6 percent in sunscreens for adults and children aged 6 months and older.
What's Next for U.S. Sunscreen Innovation
The approval of bemotrizinol is likely just the beginning of a new era for American sunscreens. The streamlined OTC monograph process established by the CARES Act could pave the way for additional new filters to reach the U.S. market more quickly. Europe currently has more than 30 approved sunscreen filters, compared to the 17 now available in the United States.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. highlighted the broader significance of the approval: "Bemotrizinol has been used safely in Europe for decades, and FDA's action will increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products."
Dermatologists are optimistic that better sunscreens could translate into better public health outcomes. "It is estimated that daily sun protection can prevent up to 80% of skin cancer cases, and meaningfully reduce the risk of recurrence for those previously diagnosed with skin cancer," Williams notes. "Approval of BEMT in the U.S. will be a big step in the right direction."
The Bottom Line: Key Takeaways About Bemotrizinol
- What it is: A broad-spectrum organic UV filter that absorbs both UVA and UVB rays, offering protection that current U.S. chemical filters cannot match on their own.
- Safety: Used globally for over 25 years, GRASE-certified by the FDA, with minimal skin absorption and low irritation risk.
- Advantages: Highly photostable (no degradation in sunlight), no white cast, and enables lighter, more elegant sunscreen textures.
- Availability: Expected in U.S. stores by late 2026, initially under the Parsol Shield brand, then as BEMT or bemotrizinol.
- Impact: The first new U.S. sunscreen ingredient since 1999, ending a 27-year drought in sunscreen innovation for American consumers.
