The FDA Just Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient for the First Time in 25 Years. Here's What You Actually Need to Know.
Now with the new FDA news breaking in the last 24 hours about it approving the new sunscreen ingredient, I have been asked about this approximately forty times since yesterday. So here is my honest, unfiltered take — because that is what we do here.
Let's talk about Bemotrizinol in sunscreen.
It is still a chemical filter. We still do not have complete long-term reef safety data. And it is still not non-nano zinc oxide — the only filter with decades of proven environmental and skin safety data, no systemic absorption concerns, and a track record that speaks for itself. Is it carcinogenic or toxic? No — nothing in the current science supports that. But is it 100% guaranteed safe for your skin and our oceans long term? Not yet. And that distinction matters.
What just happened?
Yesterday the FDA approved bemotrizinol, also known as BEMT, for use in over-the-counter sunscreen products — the first new sunscreen ingredient approved in the US in more than 25 years. It will debut under a brand name Parsol Shield this summer. After an 18-month exclusivity period, other manufacturers can start to use it too
What is this sunscreen ingredient exactly?
Bemotrizinol is a chemical UV filter that provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. It is highly photostable — meaning it does not break down in the sun — unlike avobenzone, currently the only non-mineral filter in the US that provides meaningful UVA coverage. That is actually a real improvement over what Americans have had access to.
The US has been far slower than other countries to approve new sunscreen ingredients. They are treated as drugs here, not cosmetics as in some other countries, so the approval process has been lengthy and expensive. Essentially Americans have been using outdated sun protection technology while Europe and Asia moved on decades ago. Bemotrizinol has been widely used in Europe for over 20 years.
Is it safe for your skin?
It has a high molecular weight which means it stays on top of the skin rather than absorbing into the bloodstream. It rarely causes irritation, has minimal systemic absorption, and no known endocrine-disrupting effects. That last point matters enormously. Oxybenzone — still widely used in US sunscreen — has been detected in bloodstreams and linked to hormone disruption. BEMT appears to stay where it belongs: on your skin, doing its job.
The FDA has cleared it for use on children as young as 6 months old — making it the first chemical UV filter ever recommended for infants. That is not nothing.
Is it carcinogenic or toxic?
No credible data supports either claim. The cancer concerns swirling around sunscreen in recent years have been directed at benzene contamination found in aerosol formulas and the hormone-disrupting properties of older filters like oxybenzone. BEMT has been evaluated under the FDA's updated Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective framework and passed. No red flags on the table right now — and I will keep watching as more data builds post-approval.
What about the reef?
This is where I pump the brakes — not because BEMT is proven harmful, but because honest is honest.
Certain chemical filters, especially oxybenzone and octinoxate, have been linked to coral reef damage and banned in Hawaii, Fiji, Cozumel, Palau, and more destinations coming online with their own bans every year. Non-nano zinc oxide remains the gold standard for ocean-safe sunscreen .
Bemotrizinol has a favorable environmental profile and does not easily degrade. That sounds promising. But its effects on marine life remain largely unstudied. Favorable is not the same as proven safe. For those of us who live near, work near, and actively fight for coral reef ecosystems — unknown is not good enough.
I reached out to Carl Cohen, our Chief Chemist and Head of Science, for his take. His response was direct: the FDA approval says nothing about environmental safety. Zero. Not a word about aquatic toxicity, coral impact, or marine ecosystem effects. In an industry where reef damage from chemical filters has triggered government bans across the globe, the silence on that question is not a technicality — it is a gap. A significant one. The approval tells us BEMT is safer for your skin than what came before it. It does not tell us what happens when it washes off in the ocean, and until that data exists, we are all making an assumption.
So is it better than what we have? Yes. Is it EthoSun? No.
I am genuinely glad Americans now have access to a more stable, less skin-penetrating chemical option. That is a real step forward from oxybenzone and avobenzone. The bar was on the floor and BEMT clears it.
But I built EthoSun on one principle: you should never have to choose between protecting your skin and protecting the planet. Non-nano zinc oxide is the only ingredient that has earned that promise outright. Not because it is trending. Because the science is there and has been for decades.
BEMT is better hype. Non-nano mineral is the truth.
Flip the bottle. Demand transparency. Know what you are putting on your skin and what washes into the water.
That will always be our standard.
Skin First. Planet Always.
Sarah Miller, CEO & Founder, EthoSun
Get Our spf 40 Sunscreen:
https://ethosun.com/products/daily-mineral-spf-40-for-face-body-3-4-oz