As summer heats up in America, people become more cautious about protecting their skin from the sun. Another option to do this will be available soon.
On June 9, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first new sunscreen ingredient allowed for over-the-counter consumer use in the US since 1999 – chemical called bemotrizinol.
Bemotrizinol is not new – Consumers It has been used for decades in Europe and Asia. there are some Its long-awaited approval is being lauded and arrival in America sunscreen scene.
i am one Biomedical engineer studying dermatology – including Harmful effects of sun rays. To understand what bemotrizinol does and how it fits in with the products already available to consumers in the US, let’s take a tour of the physics of sunlight and sunscreen.
A short primer on sunlight
Our planet is radiated by a yellow dwarf star 93,000,000 miles away that we lovingly call the Sun. It emits light from its surface Temperature of approximately 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Earth’s atmosphere blocks most of the Sun’s radiation. Of the rays that pass through, about half is infrared light – what makes you feel warm on a sunny day – and 40% is visible light, which you’re probably familiar with as daylight.
About 10% of them are rays ultraviolet, or UV, light. UV light has the shortest wavelength of the three types. This makes it most dangerous – it is invisible and can damage living tissues.
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ultraviolet damage
Physicists classify solar UV light into several types based on wavelength, which is measured in nanometers. About 95% of it is UVA (315–400 nm) and 5% is UVB (280–315 nm). Sunscreen needs to be able to block those rays from penetrating the skin.
The sun also emits two other types of UV light – UVC (200–280 nm) and vacuum UV (100–200 nm) – but these are blocked by the atmosphere, so sunscreens usually don’t need to be able to block them.
Scientists previously thought that only UVB rays were dangerous because they cause sunburns, but UVA can also damage the skin.
(Image credit: M.Malinika/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
Scientists used to think that only UVB was harmful because UVB rays cause sunburn. But today, researchers know Both types of UV can damage the skin.
UVB, with its shorter wavelength, holds more energy, but UVA can penetrate deeper into the skin. and all uv can do impairing the integrity of your skincause damage structure of your dna And cause of skin cancer.
Your body’s only natural protection against UV light is a microscopically thin layer of a pigment called melanin In your epidermis. The skin produces more melanin when exposed to the sun – this is tanning.
This excess melanin protects the skin, but not completely. Therefore it is very important to protect your skin with sunscreen.
sunscreen old and new
Sunscreens come in two different forms – mineral and chemical.
The first chemical sunscreen was developed in 1891 an ointment made from quinine – A plant-derived compound that makes tonic water bitter.
Chemical sunscreens cover the skin in a transparent coating, which acts like a solar sponge. They absorb uv photons and undergo a harmless chemical reaction, then dissipate the energy as heat. Bemotrizinol falls into this category.
Mineral sunscreens such as zinc or titanium oxide protect against the sun’s rays by forming a protective film Absorbs most UV light, but reflects some of it. Unlike chemical sunscreens, films absorb light naturally without any chemical reaction – which is why they often appear as a white film on the skin.
The chemical sunscreens currently available in the US contain ingredients similar to avobenzoneThe most widely used UVA filter uvb filter Like octinoxate, octocrylene octisalate and homosalate. Working together, these substances protect the skin from a broad spectrum of ultraviolet rays.
These sunscreens are only effective for a short period of time because they degrade through chemical reactions, which means they have to be reapplied frequently.
Another important element of sunscreen – whether mineral or chemical – is that Sun Protection Factor, or SPF. This number tells you how well the sunscreen keeps your skin from burning – in other words, how much UVB rays it absorbs.
An SPF of 2 would mean that a sunscreen cuts your exposure to UVB rays in half, and filters out 50% of those rays. An SPF of 30 means the sunscreen only allows 1/30 of the rays to penetrate your skin – that’s 3.3%. So it blocks about 97% of UVB rays.
Dermatologists generally recommend using sunscreen SPF of at least 30.
Benefits of Bemotrizonol
Bemotrizinol, although new to the US, is not a new compound. european regulator It was approved in 2000. Chances are, if you brought back sunscreen from vacation in Mexico, Europe, Canada, or South Korea, you probably have some lying around your house, too.
One advantage of bemotrizinol is its ability Filter out both UVA and UVB raysSo it does not need to be mixed with other products to work.
It also has some other beneficial features. First, its molecules prefer to remain on the surface of the skin rather than being more easily absorbed into the bloodstream, which may be the case for some formulations.
such absorption is increased Concern that sunscreen may be harmful – although it is Not displayed in peopleIt can be possible Discourage some people from using it.
Bemotrizinol does not degrade easily in sunlight compared to other chemical sunscreen products. he photostability This means it can last for four to eight hours instead of having to reapply every two hours.
Whatever the type, as a dermatologist I can definitely say that any sunscreen is better than none. Your skin does an excellent job of protecting you from the outside world – so make sure you protect it in return.
This edited article has been republished Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article.