Beachgoers in Europe have been slathering on bemotrizinol (or BEMT) for more than 25 years. Now it’s finally on American store shelves, the Associated Press reports.
The sunscreen ingredient absorbs both UVA and UVB rays and causes little skin irritation. AP notes that BEMT has studies backing its safety and that it has minimal absorption into the skin.
What took so long? The FDA’s slow process for approving over-the-counter ingredients. BEMT was first filed for review in 2005 and finally got the green light in June, the first new sunscreen ingredient permitted in the U.S. since the late ’90s.
Australian brand Ultra Violette got there first, selling Unblock Screen SPF 50 online in late August before it hit Sephora stores nationwide on October 2. Neutrogena, the No. 1 SPF brand in the U.S., followed in September with two BEMT face sunscreens it says were inspired by lightweight K-beauty formulas.
Being early costs extra. During an 18-month exclusivity period, brands can source BEMT from only a couple of suppliers, and they’ll pay what BeautyMatter calls the “BEMT tax.”
Beachgoers in Europe have been slathering on bemotrizinol (or BEMT) for more than 25 years. Now it’s finally on American store shelves, the Associated Press reports.
The sunscreen ingredient absorbs both UVA and UVB rays and causes little skin irritation. AP notes that BEMT has studies backing its safety and that it has minimal absorption into the skin.
What took so long? The FDA’s slow process for approving over-the-counter ingredients. BEMT was first filed for review in 2005 and finally got the green light in June, the first new sunscreen ingredient permitted in the U.S. since the late ’90s.
Australian brand Ultra Violette got there first, selling Unblock Screen SPF 50 online in late August before it hit Sephora stores nationwide on October 2. Neutrogena, the No. 1 SPF brand in the U.S., followed in September with two BEMT face sunscreens it says were inspired by lightweight K-beauty formulas.
Being early costs extra. During an 18-month exclusivity period, brands can source BEMT from only a couple of suppliers, and they’ll pay what BeautyMatter calls the “BEMT tax.”
