Investors Lab

Sunscreen gets an upgrade

Close-up view of someone squeezing sunscreen into their hand.

Attention sunbathers: There’s a new sunscreen ingredient in town, and it may be better than some current options.

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By Susanna Camp

There are hundreds of brands of sunscreen available in the United States, but not one of them contains an ingredient we all need. Bemotrizinol, a highly effective, broad-spectrum chemical ultraviolet ray blocker, has been available in Europe for decades but absent from U.S. shelves. The regulatory bottleneck was driven by a 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy classifying sunscreens as drugs. While the classification remains, consumers and innovators can welcome the news that the FDA has officially approved bemotrizinol, effective August 9, 2026. Science News‘s Meghan Rosen provides the coverage.

⛑️ The science: Stability + safety

Bemotrizinol bests legacy sunscreen tech on two major fronts: photostability and safety. Traditional chemical sunscreens such as avobenzone degrade rapidly in sunlight, requiring frequent reapplication and causing skin irritation. The benefit of bemotrizinol is that it is highly photostable, meaning it maintains its efficacy over long durations without breaking down. In theory, that means people can go longer before having to slather it on again. Bemotrizinol effectively blocks UVA rays — the ones that prematurely age skin — along with the sunburn-causing UVB rays legacy ingredients target. While established filters are all safe, bemotrizinol can’t get absorbed into the bloodstream, a sunscreen concern for some social media influencers.

💎 Premiumization pays

The global sunscreen market is projected to exceed $15 billion by 2030, but the U.S. segment has been held back. The introduction of bemotrizinol is poised to upend this status quo, creating an opportunity for “premiumization” in the SPF aisle. The FDA’s administrative order allowing the inclusion of bemotrizinol in products grants exclusive rights for an 18-month period to DSM-Firmenich AG, a chemical company with headquarters in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland and Maastricht, the Netherlands. After the exclusivity expires, brands that move quickly to incorporate the new filter will differentiate themselves from the mass-market incumbents relying on a 1990s-era ingredient list.

🛍️ Brands to watch

The race to reformulate is officially on. We can expect aggressive moves from public titans and venture-backed disruptors alike:

  • L’Oréal (OR.PA): As the world’s largest cosmetics company, L’Oréal has long used bemotrizinol in its European formulations under brands like La Roche-Posay. With U.S. approval, they are perfectly positioned to localize their most advanced clinical products for the American market, which contributes significantly to their multibillion-euro global revenue. The multinational corporation based in Clichy, France operates globally with a massive portfolio of 40 brands, generating sales that exceed $45 billion annually.
  • Supergoop!: A high-growth leader in the “prestige SPF” space, this brand is a prime candidate to leverage bemotrizinol to elevate their high-end products. Notably, they’re weathering lawsuits contesting marketing claims about being safe for coral reefs and about allegedly claiming 100 percent mineral-based formulas while containing synthetic ingredients. The private equity firm Blackstone acquired a majority stake in the company in 2021 in a deal worth between $600 and $700 million.
  • Beiersdorf (BEI.DE): The parent company of Nivea, Eucerin, Coppertone and other brands, Beiersdorf is a global powerhouse in the sun-care sector. They have mass-market reach and are well positioned to benefit from upgrading their U.S. products to include bemotrizinol. Beiersdorf has a market cap of approximately $15 billion.

Make room in your beach bag!

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