BEMT: A New Sunscreen Filter Comes to the US, and to burnd

Compared with Europe, Asia and Australia, American sunscreen makers have had a shorter list of UV filters to choose from. Social media has turned that into a story about American sunscreens being second-rate. They aren't. Excellent, high-protection sunscreens have always been available here.

Having said that, more choices give formulators more room to be creative. In June of this year, the FDA approved a filter called bemotrizinol (BEMT), and on August 9 it became available for use in U.S. sunscreens. It is the first new filter added to the FDA's sunscreen "monograph" since the late 1990s. The monograph is the FDA's official list of ingredients that any company can use in a sunscreen without seeking individual product approval.

The following is a quick primer on BEMT.

History

BEMT was developed by Swiss chemists in the 1990s and was first approved in Europe in 2000. Since then, it has become one of the most widely used sunscreen filters in the world.

In Europe and much of Asia, sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics. In the U.S., they're regulated as over-the-counter drugs, which means more safety testing, including studies in people. An early request to add BEMT was filed back in 2005 but the path through the FDA was not clear.  Two new laws in 2014 and 2020, provided the need clarity.

The request that finally succeeded was filed by the ingredient company DSM in 2024. The FDA approved BEMT at up to 6% of a formula, for, like other sunscreen filters, adults and for children as young as six months. As a reward for doing the work, DSM receives 18 months of exclusivity, starting August 9, meaning that for 18 months only DSM and its licensees can supply BEMT for sunscreens sold in the U.S.

BEMT Protects Against Both UVA and UVB

The sunlight that reaches us here on the earth's surface contains two kinds of ultraviolet (UV) light that damage skin: UVB and UVA. The full story is more nuanced, but here's a useful way to think about them:

•        UVB is roughly 1,000 times more effective than UVA at causing sunburn, but there is far more UVA in sunlight: about 95% of the UV that reaches us is UVA. UVB is the main cause of sunburn, and it also contributes a good deal to photoaging, meaning the wrinkles, thinning and uneven color that come from years in the sun.

•        UVA is a weak contributor to sunburn, but it reaches deeper into the skin and is a major driver of photoaging.

•        Both UVA and UVB are involved in the three major forms of skin cancer. However, the relationship is complicated and beyond the scope of this blog.

A useful sunscreen needs to handle both UVA and UVB. BEMT absorbs light across UVB and most of the UVA range, and in that way it's a lot like zinc oxide, which also covers UVB and most of UVA. Until now, among chemical (non-mineral) filters in the U.S., avobenzone was the only one that covered UVA well. It's a good filter, but it poses formulation and aesthetic challenges, and it tends to break down in sunlight unless it's carefully paired with other ingredients.

Like zinc oxide, BEMT is highly photostable, which means it holds up under the sun instead of wearing out. Like other organic filters, it works by absorbing UV energy and releasing it as a tiny amount of harmless heat.

Safety

BEMT has been used for over 25 years and has been carefully studied. It is a very large molecule, too large to pass through skin easily. In an FDA-required study that tested 162 adults under heavy, repeated use, the amount of BEMT in their blood stayed below the level at which the FDA asks for more testing. In most samples, it couldn't be detected at all. The FDA also reviewed animal studies that showed no signs of increased cancer risk or hormone disruption.

Pros and Cons of BEMT

It covers both UVA and UVB. BEMT is an excellent broad-spectrum filter. On its own, though, it can't reach the higher SPFs most people want. That's why, here and around the world, you'll virtually always find it combined with other filters, both organic and inorganic.

It stabalizes other filters. Because BEMT doesn't break down in sunlight, it's a good partner for filters that are less stable on their own.

It feels good on skin. Formulated well, BEMT has a light, non-greasy feel, which helps keep a sunscreen pleasant enough to wear every day. That matters, because the best sunscreen is the one you actually use.

It can be hard to work with. BEMT is a powder that doesn't dissolve easily. Formulators need the right oils to dissolve it, usually synthetic oils or other sunscreen filters such as octinoxate or octisalate. Most natural plant oils don't do the job well, although some "naturally derived" oils can work. The fact that other sunscreen filters are such good solvents for BEMT is another reason they are often used together.

The U.S. limit is lower. The U.S. allows up to 6%, compared with 10% in many other countries. That sounds like a big deal, but because BEMT is so hard to dissolve, few formulas could use much more anyway.

It works best with other filters. This isn't unique to BEMT. Experts note that combining filters gives longer-lasting, more complete protection, especially at SPF 15 and above. That's true of every filter.

It doesn't block visible light. Like all of the organic filters, BEMT protects against UV, not the visible light that can worsen dark spots and melasma in some people. For that, you need iron oxides, the mineral pigments that give tinted sunscreens their color.

Water resistance takes extra work. In our experience, BEMT is harder to build into water-resistant formulas than some other filters. Having said that, it can certainly be done, and our first BEMT product is one of them. We expect many more water-resistant BEMT products in the coming years.

Summary

BEMT is a well-studied, sun-stable, broad-spectrum filter that the rest of the world has relied on for more than 25 years. Its arrival gives U.S. formulators a terrific new tool for sunscreens that protect across the full UV spectrum and still feel nice enough to wear every day.

What's Next at burnd

We've been preparing for this moment for a long time. In November 2026, burnd will release its first BEMT product: a Broad Spectrum SPF 38 sun stick, Water Resistant (80 minutes), with BEMT and zinc oxide as its only active ingredients. It contains no SPF boosters, the inactive ingredients some formulas add to push the SPF number higher. The protection comes entirely from two of the most stable, broad-spectrum filters available.