FDA Approved the First New Sunscreen Filter in 20 Years

What Bemotrizinol Actually Changes

By Julio Pina, HAESKN formulation advisor and award-winning cosmetic chemist. With Eugene Kim, Co-founder & Product Lead, HAESKN (former packaging design lead at Clinique, Estée Lauder Companies), and Sherril HwangBo, Co-founder & Creative Director, former design director at LVMH.

Published 2026-06-15.

Short answer: On June 9, 2026, the FDA approved bemotrizinol as a new over-the-counter sunscreen active ingredient, the first addition to the US sunscreen monograph in about 20 years. It is a broad-spectrum organic filter that has been used in Korea, Japan, and Europe for years. The order takes effect August 9, 2026, so you will start to see it in US products after that, not overnight.

If you have ever wondered why Korean and European sunscreens feel so much lighter and clearer than older US ones, the filters they were allowed to use are a big part of the answer. The US just closed part of that gap.

What actually happened

For two decades, the US sunscreen aisle ran on a filter list that barely changed while the rest of the world moved on. That ended this month.

The FDA issued a final administrative order adding bemotrizinol (you may see it written as bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, or by the trade name Tinosorb S) to the OTC sunscreen monograph at concentrations up to 6%. The agency recognized it as safe and effective for adults and children six months and older. The order is effective August 9, 2026.

This is the first time a genuinely new active ingredient has cleared the US sunscreen monograph since the late 1990s. For a category where the rest of the world had moved years ahead, that is a real shift.

What bemotrizinol is

Bemotrizinol is an organic (chemical) filter, not a mineral one. Instead of sitting on the surface and scattering light the way zinc oxide does, it absorbs UV and converts it to a tiny amount of heat. Three things make it notable:

Broad spectrum in one filter. It covers both UVB and the full UVA range, which older single filters did not do as completely.

Photostable. It holds up under sun exposure rather than breaking down, and it can stabilize other filters in the same formula. Photostability is the quiet variable that decides whether your protection survives the afternoon.

Cosmetically clear. Because it is organic and dissolved into the formula, it leaves no white cast, which is most of why filters like this made Korean and EU sunscreens feel so elegant.

"This is the filter people were already feeling when they said Korean sunscreen felt different," says Julio Pina, HAESKN's formulation advisor and an award-winning cosmetic chemist. "It gives you broad UVA coverage and stays photostable, so the protection you put on in the morning is closer to the protection you still have at 3 p.m. Having it on the US list finally lets American-made formulas play with the same tools."

Why it matters for what you actually buy

Two practical wins. First, better aging protection. UVA is the deep-penetrating wavelength behind wrinkles and long-term damage, and a strong, stable UVA filter raises the floor on what US sunscreens can do. Second, better feel. Clear, photostable filters are how you get high SPF without the chalk, which is the difference between a sunscreen you reapply and one that stays in the bag.

It also narrows a long-standing confusion: whether Korean sunscreens are even FDA approved for US sale. Many imported formulas used filters that were never on the US list, which is a real compliance gap. As those filters get added here, the line between "elegant Korean formula" and "US-compliant sunscreen" gets thinner.

When you will actually see it

Not this week. The order is effective August 9, 2026, and after that, manufacturers still have to formulate, test, and ship products that use it. Expect the first US bemotrizinol sunscreens to arrive gradually, not in a single launch.

In the meantime, your current broad-spectrum SPF 50 is not obsolete. The filters already on the US list are safe and effective when used as directed. Bemotrizinol raises the ceiling; it does not invalidate the floor.

Where HAESKN sits

To be straight about it: HAESKN's SPF 50 Sun Stick is US-manufactured and FDA-compliant today, built on approved chemical filters that already deliver a clear, no-white-cast finish on every skin tone. We did not wait for a new filter to solve the white-cast problem, because the right formulation choices solved it with the tools we already had. What changes now is the ceiling: as next-generation filters like bemotrizinol become available for US production, the room to push photostability and UVA coverage gets bigger, and that is exactly the kind of advancement we build toward. For the underlying question of what separates one filter from another, Sunscreen Filters: What Actually Matters goes deeper.

What to look for as bemotrizinol sunscreens arrive

When US products using it start to appear, a few things are worth checking. It will show up in the Drug Facts active-ingredient panel as bemotrizinol, or by its chemical name bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine. Broad-spectrum SPF and water resistance are still tested and labeled the same way, so the numbers on the front of the bottle mean what they always did. And a better filter does not change how you wear it. You still apply enough, and you still reapply on schedule. A stronger, more photostable filter raises the ceiling on protection, but only if it is actually on your skin in a full dose. The filter is the upgrade; the habit is still the job.

FAQ

Is bemotrizinol safe?

The FDA classified it as generally recognized as safe and effective for adults and children six months and older, at concentrations up to 6%. It has a long use history in Europe and Asia.

Is it mineral or chemical?

Chemical (organic). It absorbs UV rather than scattering it the way mineral zinc oxide and titanium dioxide do, which is why it stays clear and leaves no white cast.

Can I buy a bemotrizinol sunscreen in the US right now?

Not yet at scale. The order takes effect August 9, 2026, and products that use it will roll out gradually after that.

Does this make my current sunscreen obsolete?

No. Filters already approved in the US are safe and effective. Bemotrizinol adds a stronger, more photostable broad-spectrum option; it does not retire the existing ones.

Why did this take so long in the US?

US sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, a stricter path than the cosmetic classification used in much of Asia and Europe. That rigor is also why a new approval here is a meaningful signal.

The bottom line

The US sunscreen list just modernized for the first time in 20 years. Bemotrizinol is approved, effective August 9, 2026.

It is a clear, photostable, broad-spectrum chemical filter that has powered the elegant feel of Korean and European sunscreens for years.

You will see it gradually, not overnight, and your current broad-spectrum SPF still works in the meantime.

If you want a clear, no-white-cast SPF 50 that is US-made and FDA-compliant today, the HAESKN SPF 50 Sun Stick is $24, water resistant for 80 minutes, and invisible on every skin tone.

About the authors. Julio Pina is HAESKN's formulation advisor, an award-winning cosmetic chemist and formulator. Eugene Kim is co-founder and product lead at HAESKN, formerly packaging design lead at Clinique (Estée Lauder Companies). Sherril HwangBo is co-founder and creative director, former design director at LVMH (Moët Hennessy, DFS) and Ralph Lauren. HAESKN is US-manufactured and FDA-compliant.

Sources

FDA, "FDA Expands Sunscreen Options for the First Time in 20 Years" (press announcement): https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-expands-sunscreen-options-first-time-20-years

Scientific American, "How the New FDA-Approved Ingredient Bemotrizinol Enhances Sunscreen Protection": https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-new-fda-approved-ingredient-bemotrizinol-enhances-sunscreen-protection/

NBC News, "FDA allows bemotrizinol, a popular sunscreen ingredient long used in Europe and Asia": https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bemotrizinol-fda-allows-sunscreen-ingredient-popular-europe-asia-rcna349223

Wikipedia, "Bemotrizinol": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bemotrizinol