Surprising good news from the FDA: bemotrizinol, a sunscreen ingredient that has been used for decades in Europe and Asia, has finally been added to the list of approved ingredients for products sold in the US. Bemotrizinol is the active ingredient in sunscreens like Bioré Watery Essence, which has a cult following because it's unlike anything we can get in the US.
I tried Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence (that's the full name of the product) in the original Japanese recipe. This sunscreen is a cult favorite on skincare and Asian beauty forums because of its non-greasy feel and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays without leaving a white cast. I got mine from a friend who either bought it while traveling or may have ordered it from overseas; it cannot be purchased in US stores.
I'll explain why this is below, but first: it's really unlike anything we have locally. Even the most “non-greasy” sunscreens feel a little tacky or tacky. Once you rub it in, it really feels like nothing. I immediately understood why he was so in demand. Looking back on this experience, I look forward to what we can see in American sunscreens once manufacturers are allowed to include this ingredient.
What's so special about bemotrizinol?
Bemotrizinol has many benefits. First, it “plays well with other sunscreen ingredients,” one dermatologist said. told Women's Health magazine. It can be used to make sunscreens that are lighter and feel better, hence the popularity of the Bioré formula I tried. To see what I mean, take a look this video where a dermatologist demonstrates the differences between Bioré's Japanese formulation and the version it sells in the US. The ingredients are different and the texture is not the same.
It is also more effective at providing broad spectrum protection. In our current sunscreen formulations, all the active ingredients protect against UVB rays (the rays that cause sunburn), but few can also provide protection against UVA rays (which contribute to wrinkles and skin aging). UVB is considered a higher risk for skin cancer, but both likely contribute to cancer risk. Currently, most broad-spectrum sunscreens in the United States use mineral ingredients such as zinc oxide. Mineral sunscreens work quite well, but can leave a white cast on the skin if applied as thickly as necessary.
Bemotrizinol is a chemical UV filter, so it does not leave a white cast. But it protects well from UVA rays in addition to UVB, and it's more photostable than many existing chemical sunscreen ingredients, so it can last longer on the skin. In other words, it is a chemical sunscreen, but it combines some of the best features of both chemical and mineral sunscreens.
It is also considered one of the safest sunscreens. All sunscreens on the market are much safer than going without sunscreenbut all of our chemical sunscreen ingredients are currently undergoing safety assessment because regulators have determined that they likely good, but more research is needed to know for sure. Currently, only two of our mineral sunscreen ingredients (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are GRAS, or Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective. Bemotrizinol will be the third.
What are your thoughts so far?
If you're looking at ingredient lists for Asian or European sunscreens, keep in mind that they have multiple names. Tinosorb S – bemotrizinol; the same applies to bis-ethylhexyloxyphenolmethoxyphenyltriazine.
Why did it take so long
Ask anyone in the skin care world what they think of sunscreen in the US, and for decades now you'll get complaints that we don't have enough of the best sunscreens that the rest of the world uses. (Our last new sunscreen ingredient was approved in 1996.) In most countries, sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics, but in the United States they are regulated as drugs. This means the US requires more stringent testing and approvals.
The CARES Act, passed in 2020 to provide pandemic relief, provided the ability to sell over-the-counter drugs without going through the full approval process, as long as the FDA was satisfied that they were safe and effective. Bemotrizinol met these criteria largely because it had been used safely since 2000 in Europe, Asia and Australia. The FDA's rule on bemotrizinol still needs to be finalized, but it's likely that we'll see the new sunscreens on store shelves before the end of 2026.
