The first new sunscreen ingredient in 25 years just hit store shelves. Will people actually use it?

There’s a new sunscreen in town. This week, products containing bemotrizinol, or BEMT — the first new sun-protection ingredient approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in more than 25 years — are hitting store shelves.

BEMT has experts excited, and it offers advantages over older ingredients. But will it win over skeptics, given that a survey found nearly 40% of Americans don’t believe that sunscreen is safe and effective?

Could a new ingredient change their minds? We put the question to two experts.

What’s different about BEMT?

Several things are different about the ingredient — or filter, to use the correct term — but it’s not altogether new. BEMT has been approved for use in Europe since 2000 and has long been used in Australia, Canada and Asian countries.

The filter is a single chemical that absorbs both UVA (the kind mainly linked to skin aging) and UVB (the kind that causes sunburn) rays, both of which can lead to skin cancer. The only previously approved single-filter sunscreens capable of that are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These mineral filters reflect both types of radiation. But there’s a drawback: the dreaded white cast.

Some older chemical filters like avobenzone have the advantage of being more transparent. But to match the broad UVA and UVB protection of mineral sunscreen, they need to be combined with two or more active ingredients. BEMT does it all in one ingredient, without the white residue or gloopiness.

BEMT is also more “photostable,” meaning it doesn’t break down as quickly as other chemical sunscreens. However, suncreens with BEMT should still be reapplied every two hours and after sweating or swimming.

The ‘vanity’ factor

The top comment on the Associated Press‘s article about BEMT’s arrival blamed the “vanity factor” for dissuading people from using broad-spectrum mineral sunscreens that leave a chalky residue. And there may be some validity to that.

A 2024 study found that about a quarter of people of color cite the white cast as a reason they prefer not to wear sunscreen, along with 7% of white respondents. “It’s very hard to use [a sunscreen] every day if you’re going to be at work and social engagements [and] feel that it makes you look funny or not like yourself,” Dr. Murad Alam, vice chair of the dermatology department at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells Yahoo.

However, today’s mineral versions aren’t your mother’s sunscreen. Science has improved, and there are now plenty of mineral sunscreens that don’t leave behind telltale signs.

But perhaps some — Gen Zers in particular — haven’t gotten the message. Nearly 20% of young adults said they considered getting a tan a higher priority than preventing skin cancer, according to a 2024 American Academy of Dermatology survey.

How sunscreen looks and feels influences whether people use it. But, unlike many countries, the U.S. regulates sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug — not a cosmetic. And that’s one of the reasons it’s taken so long for new filters to get approved, Alam explains.

The trust problem

It’s not all about style over substance, however. Some Americans question whether sunscreen is safe, citing concerns that it contributes to low vitamin D levels or contains chemicals they believe are “toxic.” The skepticism can be fueled by misinformation, including claims that sun exposure is harmless or that sunscreen itself causes skin cancer.

None of these claims has been proven, and many have been debunked, says Alam. But they can spread like wildfire, according to a recent study led by Alessandro Marcon, a research associate at the University of Alberta’s Health Law Institute, and his colleagues. While they found that most TikTok posts about sunscreen are positive, ones containing misinformation garner more engagement. Though his research didn’t look at the ages of the posters and commenters, TikTok users tend to skew younger.

Why does sunscreen in particular attract social media posts that are “creating fear around a product,” as Marcon puts it? “It’s a classic case of misinformation rhetoric: taking something that has a shred of potential truth to it” and interpreting it to mean something more than it does. Take concerns about sunscreen absorption: Some chemical sunscreen ingredients can enter the bloodstream through the skin, but there’s no evidence that this is harmful, says Alam.

Could a new sunscreen ingredient change minds?

BEMT arrives at a time when some people are hesitant to use sunscreen. Will a new FDA-backed ingredient make a difference? Perhaps, say Alam. One advantage: Older chemical sunscreen filters are small enough to penetrate the skin, which has worried some people, he says. But BEMT’s molecules are “just too big,” Alam notes. “They can’t get through the skin.”

That distinction may not persuade everyone to head to their local pharmacy, but for those looking for sun protection without a chalky finish, BEMT could offer an option that feels easier to wear more consistently.

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