Overview
- The FDA cleared bemotrizinol (BEMT) in June 2026, marking the first new sunscreen filter approved in the United States in 27 years.
- Ultra Violette has made the first BEMT product available in the U.S. market with Unblock Screen SPF 50, selling online and at Sephora stores.
- DSM‑Firmenich financed the clinical work and will be the sole U.S. supplier of BEMT for 18 months, which concentrates initial manufacturing and limits early ingredient sources for brands.
- Chemists say BEMT is efficient at low use levels and can enable lighter, less irritating sunscreens, but it starts as a powder that must be solubilized properly to avoid crystallization and to ensure long‑term stability and water resistance.
- Many brands prepared formulas in advance and have staged rollouts, with Neutrogena planning mid‑September launches, La Roche‑Posay targeting around Thanksgiving, and smaller labels scheduling 2027 introductions, a sequence that could broaden consumer choice and boost sunscreen wearability.