: [POST-PUBLICATION CORRECTION June 13, 2026: 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.]
REGINA BARBER: 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 US sunscreens on Tuesday. NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy is here to tell us all about it. Hey, Maria.
MARIA GODOY: Hi, Gina.
BARBER: So what is this ingredient that just got approved?
GODOY: Yeah, it's called bemotrizinol, and it's a chemical UV filter that's been used in sunscreens in Europe and Asia for a long time. Often, it's also sold under the name Tinosorb S. Here, you will see it as PARSOL Shield. That's the trademark name for it from the company that got it approved for sale in the US. 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.
HEATHER ROGERS: It hits, like, really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers.
BARBER: I love sunscreen, so I'm really excited about this. We actually did an episode last year on why US 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 US.
GODOY: Yeah, that's right. I absolutely love sunscreen too. Use it every day of the year. And you're right, it's a long process. Partially because, in the US, 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.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
BARBER: 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 Short Wave, the science podcast from NPR.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
BARBER: Follow us to make sure you never miss a new episode. New ones drop every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. OK, Maria, we're talking about the newly FDA-approved sunscreen ingredient, bemotrizinol. 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?
GODOY: OK, so what-- I use this heuristic, which is UVA, those are the longer wavelengths, and they're responsible for aging. So A for aging, like, premature aging. UVB, they're shorter wavelength. And those are the ones responsible for burning, basically. B for burning, A for aging.
BARBER: OK. But they actually both kind of affect both things, right? It's a little bit more complicated than that.
GODOY: Yeah, they can both cause skin cancer, basically. Yeah. And 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.
BARBER: You know, I've seen this image before. It's terrifying.
GODOY: Yeah. If you don't care about cancer, be vain and wear sunscreen for that reason.
BARBER: That's what I do it for. But both kinds of radiation-- UVA, UVB-- are linked to skin cancer, right? So you want to wear sunscreen to protect against UVA and UVB rays, which makes a sunscreen broad spectrum, right?
GODOY: Right, exactly, because you know your sunscreens. And 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 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.
BARBER: So those are the ones with things like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
GODOY: Yeah, exactly. Those are minerals. In their pure form, they're white powders. And so when you apply it, they often leave what people call a white cast. 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 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.
ROGERS: 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.
BARBER: But benzotriazole is different, right?
GODOY: Yeah. So it's a chemical UV filter. It's a chemical sunscreen, what we call chemical sunscreens. And they work a little different.
BARBER: Because they get absorbed into skin, right, instead of, like, sitting on top of your skin.
GODOY: 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.
BARBER: Yeah, I've noticed the more I reapply, the more it gets into my eyes.
GODOY: Yeah, exactly. So I always use mineral for that reason. Plus, the chemical sunscreen options we've had in the US 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, that can make for a greasier formula, because these are soluble liquids and the more you combine, the greasier they get. That's what one cosmetic chemist told me. But bemotrizinol, this new ingredient that just got approved, has UVA and UVB protection all in one. So that's another bonus.
BARBER: 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?
GODOY: But wait, there's more, Gina. So another issue with chemical sunscreen ingredients in the US is that the UV filters, some of them can start to break down when they're exposed to UV.
BARBER: That's why you have to reapply, right?
GODOY: Right. They're not very-- what's called photostable. But bemotrizinol breaks down more slowly when exposed to the sun. Heather Rogers says you just get a little more protection that way.
ROGERS: So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left.
BARBER: But you always still should reapply.
GODOY: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Definitely reapply. It just gives you a little bit more protection. But you know.
BARBER: So when it comes to chemical sunscreen, there also has been a lot of talk-- there's worries that it might disrupt hormonal pathways, that, you know, sunscreen might not be good for you. Where does that fear come from?
GODOY: 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, bemotrizinol, this newly approved ingredient, is the only chemical UV filter for sunscreens in the US that has been designated by the FDA as "generally recognized as safe and effective."
BARBER: Wow.
GODOY: Yeah. The other two sunscreen ingredients that have that same designation are the mineral ones, so zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
BARBER: What about bemotrizinol makes it different from the other chemical sunscreens?
GODOY: Well, you know, it's bigger molecule sizes, 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.
BARBER: OK. When am I going to be able to get this new sunscreen? I'm excited.
GODOY: Yeah, I am too. I asked DMS, which is the company that got bemotrizinol through the FDA approval process, and they told me they've been talking with various sunscreen manufacturers in the US. And, you know, they expect the first products with this ingredient to hit US shelves in late August, or more likely, early September.
BARBER: This year?
GODOY: Yeah, this year.
BARBER: Wow, that's pretty soon.
GODOY: Yeah. Come on, sunscreen.
BARBER: Maria Godoy, thank you so much for coming on Short Wave and bringing us this story.
GODOY: Oh, it's truly my pleasure. Because, you know, I love sunscreen.
BARBER: We both do. This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson and edited by showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer. I'm Regina Barber. Thank you for listening to Short Wave from NPR.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of transcripts for NPR programming may vary. Transcript text may also be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Please note that NPR platforms and products also include some programming produced by third parties; NPR cannot guarantee transcripts for that content and some transcripts may be produced using automated or other tools.