For the first time in a quarter century, sunscreen is changing.
The Food and Drug Administration approved a new ingredient for use in the U.S., The Associated Press reported.
Bemotrizinol (BEMT) was already approved across the globe, including Europe, starting in 1999, but the FDA just gave its stamp of approval, the first time a change has been made involving sunscreen in 25 years.
The FDA said in a news release that approval was finalized within 7 months of the proposed order being issued.
It will first hit the U.S. market under the name Parsol Shield, from Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products, later this year. It will be exclusive to the company for 18 months. After that period, BEMT will be available for use by other companies, the AP explained.
Experts said the ingredient protects against both ultraviolet A and B rays but does not leave behind white streaks like mineral-based sunscreens.
It also has low levels of absorption into the skin, the FDA said.
The FDA requires sunscreen to protect against UVB rays, which cause sunburns, and UVA rays, which increase wrinkles. Both contribute to skin cancer, the Skin Cancer Foundation said, according to NBC News.
Right now, chemical-based ingredients block one or the other, with companies combining them for “broad spectrum protection. ”
Mineral-based, while protecting against both, but leaves behind a chalky residue.
Chemical-based sunscreens are designed to be absorbed into the skin while mineral-based ones sit on the skin’s surface, according to CNN.
Congress greenlit a more streamlined process to approve safe nonprescription drug ingredients in 2020 after years of delays caused by FDA bureaucracy.
The FDA proposed limiting SPF numbers and requiring stronger UVA protection in 2021, but the proposals have not yet been approved, the AP reported.