Reef-Safe & Ingredients
Sunscreen with bemotrizinol: what you can actually buy
The first new US sunscreen filter in more than 25 years is legal. Getting hold of it is a separate question.
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As of late September 2026, the only sunscreen we have found on sale in the United States with bemotrizinol in its actives panel is Ultra Violette Unblock Screen SPF 50. Its panel reads Bemotrizinol 3%, Octocrylene 6%, Zinc Oxide 10%. Ultra Violette sells it directly and says it reaches Sephora in October. It is a breakout-friendly face sunscreen at a department-store price, not a drugstore bottle.
That is the short answer, and the rest of this page is why. The FDA added bemotrizinol to the US sunscreen monograph on June 9, 2026 — the first new active ingredient in more than 25 years. Legal to use and available to buy are different things, and right now the gap between them is measured in quarters rather than weeks. Below: what the filter actually does, what the order says, how to spot it on a label, and what is worth wearing until the rest of the market catches up.
What bemotrizinol is
Bemotrizinol is a single organic UV filter — a chemical filter, in the language most sunscreen labels use — that absorbs across both UVB and the full UVA range. Europe, Australia, Japan and Korea have formulated with it for years. The United States had not, because until this summer it was not on the list of actives a sunscreen may legally contain here.
It travels under five names, which is most of why the topic is confusing.
| Name | Where you will see it |
|---|---|
| Bemotrizinol | The US Drug Facts panel — the name the FDA approved |
| BEMT | Shorthand used by formulators and in reviews |
| Tinosorb S | The BASF trade name, the one most European formulas use |
| PARSOL Shield | The dsm-firmenich trade name for the same filter |
| Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine | The INCI name — what appears on an imported product ingredient list |
The distinction that matters when you are holding a bottle: on a US sunscreen the word belongs in Active Ingredients with a percentage beside it. On an imported cosmetic it appears in a long INCI list with no percentage and no US SPF testing behind it. How to read a sunscreen label covers which box on the bottle is the regulated one.
What the FDA actually approved
The specifics are worth knowing, because a lot of the coverage has rounded them off into something vaguer and more exciting.
- Final order OTC000039 amends the sunscreen monograph, OTC Monograph M020, to add bemotrizinol at concentrations up to 6 percent as a sunscreen active ingredient.
- A sunscreen containing it is generally recognized as safe and effective for adults and children 6 months of age and older, on the same conditions as every other monograph filter.
- The order answers a Tier 1 request filed by DSM Nutritional Products on September 23, 2024. The Federal Register notice announcing it published on June 10, 2026.
- Permitted dosage forms are oil, lotion, cream, gel, butter, paste, ointment, stick and spray — with one condition on sprays: no propellant may touch the formula, so a bemotrizinol spray has to be a pump or an isolated-propellant system rather than a conventional aerosol.
- It became legal to use on August 9, 2026. That is the earliest date any US sunscreen could contain it.
That spray condition is a quiet but real constraint: the aerosol cans that dominate the US beach aisle cannot simply be reformulated around the new filter. If you buy sprays, our spray sunscreen picks covers what the category looks like today and the technique that decides whether a can protects anything.
Why dermatologists are genuinely pleased about it
The case for bemotrizinol is not that it is new. It is that it closes a specific gap in what the United States has been allowed to sell. Stanford Medicine put the question to three dermatologists after the approval, and their answers land on three points.
- Long UVA coverage. Bemotrizinol absorbs across the UVA range to 400 nanometers, where existing US filters reach roughly 370. Joyce Teng, a Stanford professor of dermatology, put it plainly: we have not had a good UVA filter on the US market to date. Susan Swetter, who directs the university pigmented lesion and melanoma program, described it as the best broad spectrum ultraviolet radiation filter available.
- Photostability. Avobenzone, the filter that has carried long-UVA duty on US labels, degrades in sunlight — Swetter notes it breaks down after about 30 minutes, which is why formulas pair it with octocrylene to prop it up. Bemotrizinol holds up considerably better.
- Low absorption. The molecule is large. As Teng explained it, because the bemotrizinol molecule is large it does not cross the skin barrier easily, which minimizes the risk of systemic absorption — the exact question that produced headlines about older chemical filters.
If that third point is what brought you here, is sunscreen toxic works through the FDA absorption studies rather than the headlines about them, and oxybenzone versus avobenzone explains what each of the older chemical filters is actually doing in the bottle.
Why you still cannot buy much of it
Three things are slowing this down, and none of them is a conspiracy.
- One supplier holds the door for now. dsm-firmenich sponsored the request that produced the order and says that role carries an 18-month period of US market exclusivity. Other manufacturers get the ingredient on that company timeline and terms.
- Reformulating a sunscreen is slow. A new filter changes the texture, the stability and the measured SPF of everything around it. Products then need fresh in-human SPF and water-resistance testing before a single claim can go on the carton. That is months of work per formula, and it could not legally begin in earnest until August.
- The first movers are the brands that already had the formula. Ultra Violette is Australian, and its range has been built on this filter for years. Adapting an existing formula is a far shorter job than inventing one, which is why an imported niche brand beat every American mass-market label to the shelf.
The one US product that has it, and what is in it
Ultra Violette Unblock Screen SPF 50 Breakout-Friendly SKINSCREEN is a 50ml face sunscreen. We checked the brand US store on September 24, 2026 and it was in stock. Its actives panel:
| Active | Amount | What it is doing |
|---|---|---|
| Bemotrizinol | 3% | Broad UVB and long-UVA absorption, at half the 6% ceiling the FDA allows |
| Octocrylene | 6% | UVB and short UVA; also a stabilizer for other filters |
| Zinc Oxide | 10% | Mineral filter covering UVB and both UVA bands |
Three honest observations before you reach for it. It is a face sunscreen at a department-store price, so it is not the bottle you take to a beach for a family of four. Its panel includes octocrylene, which is restricted in the US Virgin Islands and Palau — check where reef-safe sunscreen is actually required if you are traveling somewhere with a filter law. And the brand US product page did not carry a water-resistance claim when we read it, so treat it as daily-wear protection rather than a swim or sport product unless the carton in your hand says otherwise.
Imported sunscreens that list Tinosorb S
The obvious workaround is to buy a Korean, Japanese or European sunscreen that has carried the filter for years. Plenty of people do, and we are not going to pretend it is unreasonable. But be clear about what you are buying.
- In the United States those products are cosmetics, not drugs. A sunscreen sold here as an over-the-counter drug has to meet the monograph. An imported one has met a different set of rules, which may be stricter about filters and looser about nothing at all — but it is not the same regulatory object.
- The SPF number was not measured under the US protocol. It may well be accurate. It has simply not been tested the way a number on a US Drug Facts panel has to be.
- Broad spectrum and water resistance are regulated claims here and do not transfer. European labels use PA+ ratings and UVA circles instead. Neither is wrong; they are just not the thing the US words mean.
- Formulas are market-specific. A familiar brand name on an import can be a different formula from the one reviewers praised, and the actives panel is the only way to tell.
- Condition is unknowable from a reseller. Sunscreen degrades with heat and age, and a gray-market bottle has an unknown history between the factory and your door. Does sunscreen expire covers what that actually costs you.
Our position: an imported sunscreen is a defensible choice for an adult who reads ingredient lists and buys from a reputable importer. It is not what we would put on a child before a long day outdoors, and it is not what we would rely on for water time.
What to wear until bemotrizinol reaches the shelf
None of the products below contain bemotrizinol. Nothing sold in a US pharmacy does yet. They are here because they answer the thing people are actually chasing when they search for the new filter: the widest UVA coverage a US label can carry, in a texture you will put on every morning without negotiating with yourself.
On a US actives panel today, zinc oxide is the filter that covers the most of the UVA range, which is why four of the five picks below are built on it. The exception is there for skin that genuinely will not wear a mineral, because a sunscreen you skip protects nothing. We selected on published label data and current availability rather than on lab testing — we do not run a lab, and where an independent organization has tested we name them rather than borrowing their findings as ours. How we choose.
Quick picks
Tap any row to read the full write-up below.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+Best zinc-only face sunscreen · SPF 50+ | Daily facial UVA cover without a chemical filter in sight | |
| 2 |  EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46Best for skin that refuses mineral · SPF 46 | Oily or breakout-prone skin that abandons heavier formulas | |
| 3 |  Supergoop! Mineral Sheerscreen SPF 30Best sheer everyday finish · SPF 30 | Anyone who wants mineral filters without an obvious mineral face | |
| 4 |  Vanicream Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ for Sensitive SkinBest fragrance-free · SPF 50+ | Reactive skin, and anyone tired of sunscreen that smells like a holiday | |
| 5 |  Coppertone Pure & Simple Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50Best value for body · SPF 50 | Covering everyone properly without rationing the bottle |
Our picks in detail
01 · Best zinc-only face sunscreen
ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+
ISDIN
Zinc oxide as the sole active in an unusually light emulsion — the closest a US label gets today to the broad, stable UVA coverage people are hoping bemotrizinol will deliver.
- Actives:
- Zinc oxide as the sole active filter
- SPF:
- SPF 50+
- Water resistance:
- Not labeled water resistant
- Reef status:
- Zinc only
- Best for:
- Daily facial UVA cover without a chemical filter in sight
What works
- Zinc oxide as the only active filter
- Lighter texture than most all-mineral face sunscreens
- Short actives panel with nothing restricted anywhere
The trade-off
- Premium price for the size
- Sold mainly through dermatology and specialist channels rather than pharmacies
- A mineral finish is still a mineral finish on deeper skin tones
02 · Best for skin that refuses mineral
EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
EltaMD · Read our EltaMD review
It is here for an honest reason: a light sunscreen you wear daily beats a better one you skip. This is a zinc and octinoxate hybrid rather than an all-mineral formula, and that trade-off is the entire point of it.
- Actives:
- Zinc oxide with octinoxate; EltaMD lists 9% zinc oxide and 5% niacinamide
- SPF:
- SPF 46
- Water resistance:
- Not labeled water resistant
- Reef status:
- Contains octinoxate, which Hawaii and Key West restrict
- Best for:
- Oily or breakout-prone skin that abandons heavier formulas
What works
- Very light finish that suits oily and acne-prone skin
- Zinc oxide present alongside the chemical filter
- A default recommendation in a lot of dermatology offices
The trade-off
- Contains octinoxate, which Hawaii and Key West restrict
- Not labeled water resistant
- Pricier than any drugstore equivalent
03 · Best sheer everyday finish
Supergoop! Mineral Sheerscreen SPF 30
Supergoop!
A lightly tinted mineral formula that goes on far sheerer than its actives suggest, which is what turns it into an every-morning habit rather than a weekend product.
- Actives:
- Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, lightly tinted
- SPF:
- SPF 30
- Water resistance:
- 40 minutes
- Reef status:
- Mineral filters only
- Best for:
- Anyone who wants mineral filters without an obvious mineral face
What works
- Sheer enough to wear under makeup or alone
- Mineral filters only
- The tint takes the edge off white cast
The trade-off
- SPF 30 rather than 50
- 40 minutes of water resistance, so not a swim product
- One universal tint will not flatter every skin tone
04 · Best fragrance-free
Vanicream Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ for Sensitive Skin
Vanicream · Read our Vanicream review
Mineral filters in a deliberately boring base — no fragrance, no botanical extracts, and the full 80 minutes of water resistance that most gentle formulas give up.
- Actives:
- Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
- SPF:
- SPF 50+
- Water resistance:
- 80 minutes
- Reef status:
- Mineral filters only
- Best for:
- Reactive skin, and anyone tired of sunscreen that smells like a holiday
What works
- Fragrance-free and free of common botanical irritants
- Maximum labeled water resistance
- Widely stocked and inexpensive for what it is
The trade-off
- Thicker than a daily face formula
- Visible cast until worked in
- Nothing cosmetically clever about it
05 · Best value for body
Coppertone Pure & Simple Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
Coppertone
Zinc oxide as the only active with 80 minutes of water resistance, at a price that makes applying the full amount feel reasonable — which is the single biggest determinant of whether any sunscreen works.
- Actives:
- Zinc oxide
- SPF:
- SPF 50
- Water resistance:
- 80 minutes
- Reef status:
- Zinc only
- Best for:
- Covering everyone properly without rationing the bottle
What works
- Zinc-only actives, unrestricted everywhere
- Maximum labeled water resistance
- Cheap enough to use generously
The trade-off
- Obvious white cast
- Thick to spread over a large area
- Too heavy for most faces
How to check a label for it
- Turn the bottle over and find the box headed Drug Facts. The first section is Active Ingredients.
- Look for the word bemotrizinol with a percentage, up to a maximum of 6%. That is the only placement that means the product is a US sunscreen containing the filter.
- If the word appears only among inactive ingredients or in the marketing copy, it is not an active filter in that product. Front-of-bottle phrases such as next-generation filter are unregulated.
- On an imported product, look for Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine in the ingredient list. Tinosorb S and PARSOL Shield are supplier trade names and may not appear on the carton at all.
- Read the rest of the panel too. Bemotrizinol is usually combined with other filters, and what it is combined with decides whether the product satisfies a destination filter law.
Should you wait for it?
No. The guidance MD Anderson published on the approval is to try a mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide first, since it is already proven and already on the shelf, and to treat bemotrizinol as the option for people who do not like how zinc oxide feels or looks. On safety, the same guidance notes that from what is known of its roughly 20-year history of use, it appears relatively safe.
That is the right frame. A new filter is an improvement at the margins of a problem whose center is behavioral: almost nobody applies enough sunscreen, and almost nobody reapplies it. How much sunscreen to apply is worth more to your skin this year than any ingredient news, and covering your torso with a UPF 50+ sun shirt removes the reapplication problem from most of your body entirely.
When bemotrizinol does reach the mainstream, the sensible expectation is better UVA numbers and lighter textures in daily face sunscreens — the category where the United States has been furthest behind. If you want to understand what the claim on the front is measuring, what broad spectrum actually means explains the test, and mineral versus chemical sunscreen sets out the trade-off this filter partly dissolves.
Sources
- FDA Expands Sunscreen Options for the First Time in 20 Years — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Amending Over-the-Counter Monograph M020: Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use, and Related Information (final order OTC000039) — Federal Register / FDA
- PARSOL Shield Approved by FDA: dsm-firmenich Setting a New Era for U.S. Sun Protection — dsm-firmenich
- Bemotrizinol, marketed by BASF as Tinosorb S, receives regulatory approval in the United States — BASF
- A sunscreen 'gamechanger'? What the science says about bemotrizinol — Stanford Medicine
- Bemotrizinol 101: what to know about this new sunscreen ingredient — MD Anderson Cancer Center
Frequently asked questions
What sunscreen has bemotrizinol in the US?
As of late September 2026 the only one we have found on sale in the United States is Ultra Violette Unblock Screen SPF 50, whose panel reads Bemotrizinol 3%, Octocrylene 6%, Zinc Oxide 10%. The brand sells it directly and says it reaches Sephora in October. More products are expected through late 2026 and into 2027.
Is bemotrizinol FDA approved?
Yes. FDA final order OTC000039, announced June 9, 2026, added bemotrizinol to the US sunscreen monograph at concentrations up to 6 percent and found it generally recognized as safe and effective for adults and children 6 months of age and older. The order took effect on August 9, 2026.
What is bemotrizinol called on a label?
Bemotrizinol on a US Drug Facts panel. Elsewhere you will see BEMT, the trade names Tinosorb S and PARSOL Shield, or the INCI name Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine. They are all the same filter.
Is bemotrizinol safe?
The FDA determined it is generally recognized as safe and effective up to 6 percent for adults and children 6 months of age and older. Dermatologists point to the size of the molecule, which limits absorption through the skin, and to roughly 20 years of use outside the United States.
Can I buy Korean or European sunscreen with bemotrizinol in the US?
You can, but those products are sold here as cosmetics rather than as FDA over-the-counter sunscreens. Their SPF was not tested under the US protocol, US broad-spectrum and water-resistance claims do not apply to them, and a reseller bottle has an unknown storage history. It is a reasonable choice for an informed adult and not what we would rely on for children or water time.
Should I wait for bemotrizinol sunscreen?
No. MD Anderson advises starting with a proven zinc oxide mineral sunscreen and treating bemotrizinol as the option for people who dislike how zinc feels or looks. Applying enough of what you already own, and reapplying it, matters far more than which filter is in it.
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