FDA Approves New Sunscreen Ingredient (Bemotrizinol) Used in EU/Asia for Years

> The FDA has approved bemotrizinol (PARSOL Shield). This is the first new sunscreen ingredient approved in over 20 years, offering superior UVA and UVB protection... an advanced sunscreen filter that has long been used in Europe and Asia.

The FDA statement makes this sound like something we all should be pleased with. Somehow this 19,000-person bureaucracy is popular on Hacker News, but I like to remind people that the FDA's primary job is to prevent Americans from buying medicines.

A more accurate summary might be something like:

> After many decades of successfully preventing Americans from buying the same safe and effective bemotrizinol sunscreen that the rest of world has had for years, today the FDA finally relented and stopped blocking Americans from buying it.

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mhitza a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Coincidentally (?) also discussed today

"European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48503940

	▲	pogue a day ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I saw that posted on here earlier and I don't know if the person posting it had realized a new ingredient had been approved or was just coincidence.
	▲	stfu1989 a day ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		people like to go on research rabbit holes

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a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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Bender a day ago | parent | prev [-]

I always use children's sunscreen. Seems to have simpler and better understood ingredients.

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CGMthrowaway a day ago | parent [-]

This...non-nano zinc oxide is all you need. Ancient technology and still the safest & most effective.

Bemotrizinol is itself a very large molecule with near-zero skin absorption (like ZnO), so if you are thinking you will use this to avoid the "it doesn't rub in" aspect of mineral sunscreen, you are going to be disappointed.

	▲	lucius_verus a day ago \| parent [-]
		I only buy sunblock from Korea and Japan that uses Bemotrizinol. Not sure where you got the idea that it wouldn't rub in, but I can confirm that it rubs in very well and doesn't stain white clothing like the avobenzone in US sunblock. The Japanese sunblocks feel light (not as greasy), smell better, and protect very well.