{"id":15233954,"date":"2026-07-30T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/u-s-sunscreen-users-are-finally-getting-a-new-option\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:33:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:33:25","slug":"u-s-sunscreen-users-are-finally-getting-a-new-option","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/u-s-sunscreen-users-are-finally-getting-a-new-option\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. sunscreen users are finally getting a new option \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Glowy oils, tinted creams, misty sprays, chalky sticks, lightweight gels. Like many people, my pool bag is filled with many types of sunscreen. But all use the same sun-shielding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-chemical\">chemicals<\/a>. In fact, the allowed ingredient list for U.S. sunscreens hasn\u2019t changed in 20 years \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n<p>This June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/news-events\/press-announcements\/fda-expands-sunscreen-options-first-time-20-years\" rel=\"noopener\">added bemotrizinol (Beh-moh-TRIZ-eh-nol) to its approved list. <\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we should all be super excited,\u201d says Tanya Hathaway. She\u2019s a dermatologist who specializes in treating high-risk skin-cancer patients. Hathaway works at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Wash.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"wp-block-sciencenews-inline-related-post alignleft\">\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/understanding-light-and-other-forms-of-energy-on-the-move\">Understanding light and other forms of energy on the move<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Bemotrizinol has many benefits. It lasts longer than other sunscreen ingredients. It won\u2019t get quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. And it\u2019s very good at blocking those rays of the sun that age skin.<\/p>\n<p>Sunscreens in Europe have used the chemical for more than 25 years, Hathaway notes. More recently, it\u2019s been approved in Japan, Canada, Australia and many other places.<\/p>\n<p>There are some sunscreen ingredients used elsewhere that still are not allowed in U.S. products. Bemotrizinol\u2019s approval could open U.S. doors for some of these. It\u2019s \u201ca great first step,\u201d Hathaway says.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A new chemical sunscreen<\/h2>\n<p>Sunscreens use a few tricks to protect our skin from the sun\u2019s rays. Physical sunscreens rely on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-mineral\">minerals<\/a> such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These create a coating that reflects sunlight, like a mirror. But they can leave a white sheen on the skin. Just think of a lifeguard\u2019s nose, says Jennifer Stein. She\u2019s a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Those zinc and titanium products also \u201cdon\u2019t rub in so well,\u201d she notes. \u201cAnd if people don\u2019t like the way their sunscreen smells or feels, they\u2019re not going to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>.cheat-sheet-cta {<br \/>\n  border: 1px solid #ffffff;<br \/>\n  margin-top: 20px;<br \/>\n  background-image: url(&#8220;https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/12\/cta-module@2x-2048&#215;239-1.png&#8221;);<br \/>\n  padding: 10px;<br \/>\n  clear: both;<br \/>\n}<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group cheat-sheet-cta is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Do you have a science question? We can help!<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/YbhPosFTMqjbSNnV7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Submit your question here<\/a>, and we might answer it an upcoming issue of&nbsp;<em>Science News Explores<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Non-mineral sunscreens often rub in a bit better. They often use chemicals such as avobenzone (Ay-vah-BEN-zoan) and oxybenzone to absorb the sun\u2019s rays. But these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-molecule\">molecules<\/a> are not very stable. They start to break down when hit by sunlight, Stein says. That\u2019s not ideal for something that\u2019s designed for use in the sun.<\/p>\n<p>Because bemotrizinol is more stable, people may not need to apply sunscreens with it as often. This new ingredient also is good at blocking ultraviolet A1 (UVA1) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/scientists-say-radiation\">radiation<\/a>. That&#8217;s a type that gets deep into the skin. Over time, UVA1 can make skin wrinkly, loose and spotted, Hathaway says.<\/p>\n<p>Current U.S. sunscreens do a good job of blocking UVB, which causes sunburns. But U.S. sunscreens had fewer options for blocking UVA, she says. Bemotrizinol \u201creally expands that UVA spectrum of coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is it safe?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DKzeKnPtcFI\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\"background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:500px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DKzeKnPtcFI\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>You might have seen influencers on TikTok or Instagram making DIY sunscreens. Often, they will call the ingredients in commercial brands \u201ctoxic.\u201d Sunscreen skepticism on social media is nothing new, Stein says. Patients who avoid sunscreen often worry about chemicals passing through the skin.<\/p>\n<p>That can happen with things like avobenzone and oxybenzone. They may even get into your blood, Stein says \u2014 but only if \u201cyou apply them to large areas of the body repeatedly throughout the day.\u201d Even so, people shouldn&#8217;t fear them. Hathaway says no studies have shown that U.S. sunscreen ingredients are unsafe when used at current levels.<\/p>\n<p>Bemotrizinol, which is a big molecule, is less likely to pass through skin than these other chemicals. It\u2019s \u201ctoo big to squeeze through the skin cells to get down into your bloodstream,\u201d Stein says. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>FDA classifies bemotrizinol as GRASE (short for generally recognized as safe and effective). Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the only other U.S. sunscreen ingredients with this rating.<\/p>\n<p>Bemotrizinol\u2019s U.S. approval goes into effect on August 9. So sunscreens using it could hit shelves later this summer. But a new sunscreen is not the only way to stay safe from the sun. There are plenty of low-tech options, too: long sleeves, hats, sunglasses and staying in the shade. \u201cThe more clothing you\u2019re wearing,\u201d Stein emphasizes, \u201cthe less you have to depend on sunscreen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"inmi-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snexplores.org\/article\/new-sunscreen-option-bemotrizinol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Science \u2013 sciencenewsforstudents<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FDA will now allow the use of bemotrizinol in U.S. sunscreens. This long-lasting chemical protects against the solar radiation that ages and damages skin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15233956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15233954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-300x169.webp",300,169,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-620x349.webp",620,349,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-768x432.webp",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-670x446.webp",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main.webp",800,450,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-510x450.webp",510,450,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-160x160.webp",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-24x24.webp",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-48x48.webp",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-96x96.webp",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233954-061226_mr_sunscreen_main-300x300.webp",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/articles\/science\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Science<\/a>","tag_info":"Science","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15233954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15233954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15233954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15233955,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15233954\/revisions\/15233955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15233956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15233954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15233954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15233954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}