Short Wave - Why your sunscreen is finally getting a major upgrade

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

Until this week, the United States hadn’t approved a new sunscreen ingredient in over 20 years. That changed Tuesday, when the FDA approved a new chemical for U.S. sunscreens. It’s called bemotrizinol, and NPR science correspondent Maria Godoy joins us to tell us all about it — including the soonest it’s expected to hit shelves.Interested in more science news? Email us your question at [e-mail] to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.CORRECTION: A previous version of this episode incorrectly referred to Dr. Heather Rogers as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. She is a fellow of the academy.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Until this week, the United States hadn't approved a new sunscreen ingredient in almost 30 years. That changed when the FDA approved a new chemical UV filter for U.S. sunscreens on Tuesday. NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy is here to tell us all about it. Hey, Maria. Hi, Gina. So what is this ingredient that just got approved? Yeah, it's called Bematresenol, and it's a chemical UV filter that's been used in sunscreens in Europe.

Asia for a long time. Often it's also sold under the name Tinnisorb S. Here you will see it as Parcel Shield. That's the trademark name for it from the company that got it approved for sale in the U.S. I talked about this with Dr. Heather Rogers. She's a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. And she says she is psyched about this new ingredient. It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers. I love sunscreen, so I'm really excited about this. We actually did an episode last year on why U.S. sunscreens have lagged behind European and Asian ones. And part of the reason was that there's different regulations for how sunscreen is approved in the U.S. Yeah, that's right. I absolutely love sunscreens too. Use it every day of the year. And you're right, it's a long process, partially because in the U.S. there's a higher bar for proving that they're safe and effective. In Europe, they treat sunscreens as cosmetics. And it's also expensive. So companies in the past have looked to get new sunscreen ingredients approved here, but they gave up because it just cost way too much money. And in fact, it took 20 years to get this new ingredient approved here. And millions and millions of dollars.

Today on the show, why approve this new sunscreen now after a 20-year wait? Plus, how it works. I'm Regina Barber, and you're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. Follow us to make sure you never miss a new episode. New ones drop every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Okay, Maria, we're talking about the newly FDA-approved sunscreen ingredient bemetries and all. And to understand it, I think we need a little sunscreen 101. Sunscreen's main purpose is to protect against two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB.

These are different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but that's probably not helpful for people. So Maria, break down what's the difference between both of them. Okay, so what I use is heuristic, which is UVA, those are the longer wavelengths, and they're responsible for aging. So A for aging, like premature aging, UVB. UVB, they're shorter wavelength, and those are the ones responsible for, you know, burning, basically. B for burning, A for aging. Okay. But they actually both kind of affect both things, right?

It's a little bit more complicated than that. Yeah, they can both cause skin cancer, basically. Yeah. And, you know, UVA, one thing about it is that people don't realize that it can come through windows. That's one reason you should be wearing sunscreen if you're driving. So Heather Rogers actually has this photo on her website that was originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and it shows this man who was a professional truck driver for nearly three decades. And the left side of his face that was exposed to UVA rays through his window looked at least 20 years older than the right side of his face.

So the damage is real, folks. Wear sunscreen. Yeah, no, I've seen this image before. It's terrifying. Yeah. If you don't care about cancer, be vain and wear sunscreen for that reason. That's what I do it for. But both kinds of radiation UVA, UVB are linked to skin cancer, right? So like you want to wear sunscreen to protect against UVA and UVB rays, which makes a sunscreen broad spectrum, right? Right, exactly, because you know your sunscreens. And, you know, there's a few ways you can get that broad spectrum protection. So mineral or physical sunscreens or chemical sunscreens, those are the options we have. Heather Rogers, who we heard from earlier, told me they both absorb, you.

UV radiation and release it as harmless heat. That's the primary way they work. Mineral or physical sunscreens are bigger particles and they form a protective layer on your skin. And so another thing they do is they physically reflect and scatter UV rays. So those are the ones with things like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Yeah, exactly. Those are minerals, you know, in their pure form, they're white powders. And so when you apply it, they often leave what people call it a white cast. You know, It depends on the formulation and the SPF level, but you'll often hear people complain that their mineral sunscreens don't blend super well. So, you know, they might not be as likely to wear them because they don't want to look funny.

And Heather Rogers says, that's a problem. You want people to wear sunscreen. Particularly if you're a person of color. Zinc is going to make you look pale, white, or ashy, which really makes it hard to use on a regular basis. But Benetrizole is different, right? Yeah. So it's a chemical UV filter.

It's a chemical sunscreen, what we call chemical sunscreen. and they work a little different. Because they get absorbed into your skin, right, instead of like sitting on top of your skin. Yeah, right. So they blend super evenly, and so you end up with something that's transparent on your skin. And the plus side of chemical sunscreens is they don't make people look super ghostly pale,

but one downside is for a lot of people, they can be more irritating. I don't know about you, Gina, but I've always actually avoided chemical sunscreens because I sweat a lot in the heat, which is when you're going to be wearing sunscreen the most, although I wear it all the time. And anyway, when I sweat, it gets in my eyes and that burns. Yeah, when I've noticed the more I reapplied, the more it gets into my eyes. Yeah, exactly. So I always use mineral for that reason. Plus the chemical sunscreen options we've had in the U.S. until now, the UV filters only protect against either UVA or UVB. So in order to get that broad spectrum protection, they have to combine them. And sometimes I can make for a greasier formula because these are shawly-label liquids,

and the more you combine, the greasier they get. That's what one cosmetic chemist told me. But bematresenol, this new ingredient that just got approved, has UVA and UVB protection all in one. So that's another bonus. Yeah, I remember Heather from earlier saying that it just checked every box. So is that why it makes it better or is there even more? But wait, there's more, Tina.

So another issue with chemical sunscreen ingredients in the U.S. is that, you know, like the UV filters, some of them can start. to break down when they're exposed to UV. That's why you have to reapply, right? Right. They're not very what's called photostable. But Benetriazanol breaks down more slowly when exposed to the sun. Heather Rogers says you just get a little more protection that way.

So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left. But you always still should reapply. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Definitely reapply. It just gives you a little bit more protection, but you know. So when it comes to chemical sunscreen, there also has been a lot of.

lot of talk, you know, there's worries that it might disrupt hormonal pathways, you know, sunscreen might not be good for you. Where does that fear come from? Yeah, so there have been studies that have shown chemical sunscreens can be absorbed in humans and found in blood and breast milk and urine, though they haven't been shown to be harmful or cause cancer in humans. You know, I should note when it comes to a chemical UV filter called oxybenzone, there are some concerns that it may act as a hormone disruptor in humans, but more research is needed. That's why the FDA has called for more safety data on sunscreen and chemical filters. And actually, Benetriazanol, this newly approved ingredient, is the only chemical UV filter for sunscreens in the U.S. that has been designated by the

FDA as generally recognize as safe and effective. Wow. Yeah. The other two sunscreen ingredients that have that same designation are the mineral ones, so zinc oxide, titanium dioxide. What about Benmatrizanol makes it different from the other chemical sunscreens? Well, you know, it's bigger molecule size it, so it kind of sits more on the surface of the skin. It doesn't absorb very easily into the bloodstream at all, so that's really not a concern. Okay. When am I going to be able to get this new sunscreen? I'm excited. I am too. I asked DMS, which is the company that got metries and all through the FDA approval process, and they told me they've been talking with various sunscreen manufacturers in the U.S. and, you know, they expect the first products with this

ingredient to hit you as shelves in late August or more likely early September. This year? Yeah, this year. Wow, that's pretty soon. Yeah. Come on, sunscreen. Maria Godoy, thank you so much for coming on Shortwave and bringing us the story. Oh, it's truly my pleasure because, you know, I love sunscreen.

We both do. This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson and edited by a showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Jimmy Keely was the audio engineer. I'm Regina Barber. Thank you for listening to Shorewave from NPR.