Safe Product Spotlight: The FDA’s First New Sunscreen Ingredient Approval in Decades
Published on September 1, 2026
For the first time in many years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new ingredient, bemotrizinol, to be used in sunscreen products in the United States. This ingredient has been used in other countries for a long time and helps protect your skin from both types of ultraviolet (UV) light (UVA and UVB rays). UVA rays reach deep into the skin and cause long-term damage like early wrinkles, while UVB rays hit the top layer of skin and cause sunburn; however, both can cause skin cancer which is why sunscreen use is so important. Because over-the-counter sunscreens are tested and controlled like medicine, it is important to follow the package directions, so you get the right protection without any unexpected side effects.
What Makes Bemotrizinol Different?
Bemotrizinol has been used safely for years in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Adding bemotrizinol to sunscreens helps address several issues found in older sunscreen products that are available in the United States:
Provides broad protection: A single ingredient protects your skin from both sunburn and long-term skin damage.
Stays on the skin: Bemotrizinol is unique in that it sits safely on top of your skin for a long time instead of soaking into the skin.
Lasts longer: It does not break down quickly indirect sunlight, so it keeps working while you are outdoors.
Gentle and clear: It does not leave behind a heavy white film, making it gentle on sensitive skin and great for all skin tones.
Even with better ingredients, sunscreen only works if you use it correctly. Here are some areas of concern when using sunscreen:
Here’s what you can do: Since the FDA just approved the use of bemotrizinol a few months ago, there are currently no sunscreen products available in the United States with this ingredient. Until products become available, continue to use sunscreen products, following these recommendations:
Keep babies in the shade with lightweight clothing and a hat instead of using sunscreen.
Spray the sunscreen into your hands first, then rub it onto your face. Keep sprays away from open flames.
Use a full handful of sunscreen lotion for your body and a dime-sized squirt for your face.
Put on more sunscreen every 2 hours, and right after swimming, sweating, or using a towel.
To make sunscreen products last longer, consider the following recommendations:
Avoid direct sun exposure for containers: Do not leave sunscreen bottles sitting in direct heat or inside a hot car. Keep containers wrapped in a towel or stored in the shade while outdoors.
Check expiration dates: Expired sunscreens lose their effectiveness and will not work as well in preventing sunburn. If a bottle does not have an expiration date, mark the purchase date on the label and discard it after a few years.
Inspect texture and smell: Discard any sunscreen that has changed color, separated into layers, or developed an unusual odor, even if it has not reached its expiration date.
Checklist for Safe Sunscreen Use
Check the active ingredients: Look for products that protect from both UVA and UVB rays and have high protective ratings (e.g., SPF 30, SPF 50). The sun protection factor (SPF) rating measures how well the sunscreen protects your skin from UVB rays. For example, sunscreen with SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays.
Apply early: Apply sunscreen to dry skin before stepping outdoors so it forms an effective protective layer.
Never rely solely on sunscreen: Combine the use of sunscreen with protective clothing such as wide-brimmed hats; long-sleeved, lightweight shirts; and UV-blocking sunglasses. In addition, stay in shaded areas during peak sun hours or use an umbrella or canopy.
Check your prescription medications: Certain medicines (including certain blood pressure drugs, antibiotics, acne treatments, and some chemotherapy medicines) increase skin sensitivity to sunlight. Ask your pharmacist if any of your medicines can cause you to be more sensitive to sun exposure.
Catapres-TTS (transdermal therapeutic system) patches contain the medicine clonidine, which is used to treat high blood pressure. The patch is applied to the skin where it slowly releases the medicine into the body over a specific period of time.
Are you using eye drops to help relieve your sore eyes? If you overuse eye drops that contain decongestants (ingredients that shrink swollen blood vessels) such as naphazoline, tetrahydrozoline, or phenylephrine, it could lead to conjunctivitis--swollen, red, sore eyes with a liquid discharge. It could take weeks for this condition to clear up. Use your eye drops as directed on the label, or your red eyes may actually worsen.
Medications for children are frequently ordered by the "dropperful". There are several problems with these orders. First there is too much room for misinterpretation of what might constitute a dropperful. One individual might consider it to be a dropper filled to the upper calibration mark.
Open Prescription Bag Before You Leave the Pharmacy
It should never happen, but it's not unheard of for another patient's medication to somehow slip into your bag before you pick it up at the pharmacy. Bagging errors can happen when more than one patient's medications are in the pharmacy work field at the same time, often during the prescription packaging process. Pharmacists are well aware of this and most pharmacies do require that staff work on only one patient's medications at a time. Nevertheless, since bags containing prescription medications are not routinely opened at the point-of-sale, if an error does happen it may not be captured before the patient leaves the pharmacy.
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