First new US sunscreen ingredient since 1999 approved by FDA – a skin scientist explains how bemotrizinol works

As summer in the U.S. heats up, people become more diligent about protecting their skin from the Sun. Another option for doing so will soon be available. On June 9, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first new sunscreen ingredient to be permitted for over-the-counter consumer use in the U.S. since 1999 – a chemical called bemotrizinol. Bemotrizinol isn’t new – consumers in Europe and Asia have used it for decades. Some are hailing its long-overdue approval and arrival onto the U.S. sunscreen scene. I am a biomedical engineer studying skin science – including the damaging effects of the Sun’s rays. To understand what bemotrizinol does and how it fits in with products already available to consumers in the U.S., let’s take a tour of the physics of sunlight and sunscreens. A short primer on sunlight Our planet is irradiated by a yellow dwarf star 93,000,000 miles away that we fondly call the Sun. It radiates light from its surface at a temperature of about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Earth’s atmosphere blocks most of the Sun’s radiation. Of the rays that get through, about half consist of infrared light – which gives you that warm feeling you…

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