The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved a new sunscreen ingredient.
And it’s big news, because this hasn’t happened for a long time: something new in the field of sunscreen!
You may be wondering: is this something I should be using right now? Is it better than what I had before?
Here at CV Skinlabs, we are happy as long as you use sunscreen to protect your skin. We have always recommended zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the safest options because these are so-called ‘physical sunscreens’ that sit on top of the skin and protect it without being absorbed too deeply.
However, some of our customers have noted that these sunscreens can be a bit chalky or leave a white film on the skin. They can even cause irritation in people with sensitive skin. Formulas these days are better than ever before, but we still all want to look our best even while protecting our skin, right?
Now we may have a new alternative. It’s all the rage in the beauty world, so we want to make sure you get all the scoop before you make a decision.
What is this new sunscreen ingredient?
The new sunscreen is called bemotrizinol. You may also see it listed as BEMT, Tinosorb S, PARSOL Shield, or its longer chemical name, Bis-Ethylhexyloxylphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine.
How’s that for a mouthful?
What is this, outside the science laboratory?
Bemotrizinol is a new type of chemical sunscreen. This means that it absorbs UV rays and helps convert their energy into heat, which is then released through the skin.
We normally recommend physical or so-called mineral sunscreens (such as zinc oxide) over chemical sunscreens because they sit on top of the skin and help block, diffuse and protect UV rays without sinking into the skin. Chemical sunscreens have been more linked to issues like hormone disruption and free radical production, so we’ve mostly suggested staying away from those.
But bemotrizinol is a little different from most chemical sunscreens. It is mainly considered more “stable” than ingredients like avobenzone.
Plus, it offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays, meaning it provides broad-spectrum protection, which most other chemical sunscreens don’t do as well. (That’s why chemical sunscreens are often combined to achieve broad-spectrum shielding.)
How safe is this new sunscreen ingredient?
Bemotrizinol has been used in Europe for decades and the research on it is encouraging.
Photostable
The FDA’s clinical overview describes it as “photostable,” meaning it does not break down easily in sunlight.
Sunscreens are constantly affected by UV radiation. Some of our well-known chemical sunscreens work for a while, but then can be weakened by sunlight. Once they break down, they no longer protect as well.
Avobenzone is a good example of this. It protects against UVA rays, but can break down in sunlight unless the formula contains stabilizers.
Bemotrizinol is considered very photostable and does not require stabilizers. In fact, it can help stabilize other sunscreen ingredients in a formula.
Better yet, unlike older non-mineral sunscreens, bemotrizinol can be combined with zinc oxide to provide strong broad-spectrum protection with less white cast.
Low absorption
The other good news is that bemotrizinol has a high molecular weight, which reduces its ability to penetrate the skin.
The FDA describes it as having “a low level of absorption through the skin into the body,” which is good news for clean beauty enthusiasts. In the clinical overviewresearchers reported that the absorbed dose appeared to be less than two percent of the administered dose.
Even when people took a lot of bemotrizinol several times a day, very little entered the bloodstream. Most of it seemed to stay on or near the skin.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the FDA confirms that bemotrizinol is minimally absorbed through the skin at concentrations up to 6 percent, with average absorption levels below the concentration the FDA considers indicative of systemic exposure.
Compare that with oxybenzoneanother chemical sunscreen that was detected in the blood at a rate of 515 times the FDA’s concern threshold after a single weekend of application.
No irritation
For those with sensitive skin, this may also be a sunscreen ingredient to try. Test for skin irritation found that bemotrizinol was not irritating at the permitted concentrations.
Long safety track use
Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades. The US has a stricter testing policy for sunscreen than other countries, which is why it takes longer for this ingredient to reach our shores.
However, those long years of use abroad mean that bemotrizinol has more safety data to support this than other chemical sunscreens currently approved in the US
This new sunscreen ingredient might just look better
If you’re a clean beauty enthusiast, you’ve probably opted for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide most of the time. But you may not appreciate the white cast that zinc oxide can leave behind.
New formulas containing bemotrizinol will be transparent on the skin while providing broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. That should mean more pleasant, less greasy sunscreen formulations in the near future.
When will this new sunscreen ingredient be available?
Products containing bemotrizinol are not yet widely available as it was recently approved in June 2026. The EWG says that when they arrive, they will have their “Sunscreen guide” with those products to help you choose safe options.
At that point, you’ll want to look for “bemotrizinol” or “BEMT” in the list of active ingredients or for the trade name Parsol Shield on the product packaging. It may also be listed by the other long chemical name mentioned earlier.
In the meantime, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide remain your safest options.
What you can do now with this information
Here’s how you can use this news to take better care of your skin today.
1. Take a fresh look at your current sunscreen.
Check the label. If it relies heavily on avobenzone with no stabilizer listed, your protection could break down faster than you think. Instead, choose a zinc oxide-based mineral option.
2. Make sunscreen the first step in protecting your skin.
Even the best sunscreen can leave your skin feeling a little parched or stressed at the end of the day. Sensitive skin types may experience skin reactions, irritation, dermatitis, redness and itching. Grab our Rescue + Relief Spray for instant cooling after cleansing, then apply our Calming Moisture for recovery.
3. Protect your barrier.
Using our Body Repair Lotion in the evening gives your skin the soothing, restorative ingredients it needs to recover from daily sun exposure. Think of it as your sunscreen’s teammate.
4. Don’t skip sunscreen on cloudy days.
UVA rays – the rays that bemotrizinol is particularly good at blocking – do not require sunny days. They come through the clouds and right through car windows. Daily protection is important!
5. When bemotrizinol products arrive, read the labels carefully.
Look for ‘broad spectrum’ and SPF 30 or higher. The fact that bemotrizinol is a safe sunscreen does not automatically make a product “clean” in the way we define it. Review the full ingredient list and look for products that use this new ingredient in thoughtful, non-irritating formulations.
6. Use what works for your skin.
By the way, if your current mineral sunscreen is working for you, feel free to continue using it. If your skin does well with zinc oxide, you don’t need to switch to something new. But if you wanted an alternative, we wanted to let you know what this new ingredient was all about.
Featured image by Mikhail Nilov via Pexels.
