FDA Adds Bemotrizinol as First New Sunscreen Ingredient in 27 Years Amid 2026 Misinformation Fears
Updated
Updated · Medscape · Jun 24
FDA Adds Bemotrizinol as First New Sunscreen Ingredient in 27 Years Amid 2026 Misinformation Fears
2 articles · Updated · Medscape · Jun 24
Summary
Bemotrizinol has been added to the FDA’s permitted sunscreen ingredient list, marking the first new UV filter cleared since 1999 after years of regulatory delay.
The move comes as dermatologists say misinformation around the Environmental Working Group’s 2026 sunscreen guide is pushing some patients away from approved products and toward homemade mixtures with little or no UV protection.
EWG said only 20% of 2,784 sunscreens it reviewed met its own standards, but clinicians argue its hazard-based scoring is being mistaken for real-world clinical risk and that blood absorption findings do not prove toxicity.
Doctors also dispute criticism of SPF above 50, saying higher-SPF products provide a practical margin of error because most people underapply sunscreen or fail to reapply it.
The broader message from dermatologists is that UV exposure poses the clearer, proven danger—including melanoma and other skin cancers—while the best sunscreen remains one patients will wear consistently alongside hats, shade and protective clothing.