Sunscreen Just Changed for the First Time in 20 Years

In June 2026, the FDA added bemotrizinol to its list of permitted sunscreen active ingredients, the first new sunscreen filter cleared for use in the United States in about twenty years. It is a meaningful moment. For years, many US sunscreen formulas had fewer modern filter options than products available in Europe and Asia, where this ingredient has been used safely for decades.

What makes it matter is where it works. Most US sunscreens are very good at blocking UVB, the rays that burn. They have had fewer options for strong, stable UVA protection, the deeper rays tied to aging and skin cancer. Bemotrizinol helps close that gap. It does not break down quickly in sunlight, and it can be paired with zinc oxide to deliver broad coverage with less of the white cast mineral formulas can leave. Consumers should begin seeing it in US sunscreen formulas as brands bring new products to market.

As welcome as that is, a new ingredient does not change the fundamentals. The sunscreen that protects you is still the one you choose well, apply generously, and reapply. Here is how to do that, and how to support your skin's recovery from within.

What Actually Matters on the Label

Ignore the marketing on the front of the bottle. A good sunscreen only needs to answer three questions.

• SPF 30 or higher

  SPF 30 blocks about 97 percent of UVB rays and SPF 50 about 98 percent. Higher numbers add very little, so how much you apply matters more than chasing the biggest number.

• Broad-spectrum

  This means it protects against both UVA, the rays that age skin, and UVB, the rays that burn. If the label does not say broad-spectrum, keep looking.

• Water resistant

  Even when you are not swimming, sweat and humidity move sunscreen around. Water resistance helps it stay where you put it.

Mineral, Chemical, or Hybrid: Which Is Right for You?

You will see two broad families. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Chemical, also called organic, sunscreens use filters such as avobenzone, and now bemotrizinol. Hybrid formulas combine both.

For sensitive, reactive, or recently treated skin, mineral formulas are often the smart default. They tend to be gentle and are less likely to sting or irritate. But mineral is not the only good answer, and chemical filters are not something to fear. The most useful rule is simpler than the whole debate: the best sunscreen is the one you will actually apply generously and reapply. A formula you enjoy wearing every day protects you far more than a perfect one that stays in the drawer.

If the environment is a deciding factor for you, note that some reef-protection jurisdictions have restricted certain filters such as oxybenzone and octinoxate. Mineral formulas and newer filters are easy alternatives.

Most People Don't Use Enough

Here is the quiet mistake that undermines almost everyone's sunscreen: using too little. Sunscreens are tested at a generous amount, and most people apply far less, which lowers the real protection they get.

A simple guide. Most adults need about one ounce, roughly a shot glass, to cover the exposed areas of the body, and at least a teaspoon for the face and neck. Apply it before you head outside, then reapply every two hours outdoors, and sooner after swimming, sweating, or toweling off.

The Step People Skip After a Treatment

If you have had a laser, microneedling, a peel, or surgery, your skin is temporarily more vulnerable to the sun. Freshly treated skin can burn more easily and is more prone to dark patches and uneven tone that may linger for months, which is the opposite of what you wanted from the treatment.

In the weeks after a procedure, a gentle mineral SPF 30 or higher, along with shade and a wide-brimmed hat, helps protect your result while your skin recovers.

If You Are Prone to Dark Spots or Melasma

Melasma, dark spots, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation are not driven by UV alone. Visible light, the light you can see, can worsen them too. Standard sunscreens do not block visible light, but tinted mineral sunscreens that contain iron oxides do. If you are prone to discoloration, a tinted mineral SPF is one of the most useful upgrades you can make.

Protect Outside, Support Repair Within

Sunscreen protects your skin at the surface. Your skin also relies on nutrients to maintain its barrier, hydration, and day-to-day ability to repair itself. No supplement replaces sunscreen, and none prevents UV damage. But supporting your skin from within is a sensible complement to protecting it from the outside.

That is the thinking behind Mendora's Skin Repair Formula. One daily scoop supports four actions your skin draws on every day.

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Kami Parsa, MD

Oculoplastic surgeon

Kami Parsa, MD is an oculoplastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and the founder of Mendora. After years of caring for patients through recovery from surgical and aesthetic procedures, he created Mendora Skin Repair Formula to support the nutrients skin uses during recovery from within.

This article is for education only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for sun protection. Talk with your clinician about what is right for your skin.

References

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Expands Sunscreen Options for the First Time in 20 Years. June 9, 2026.
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun.
3. American Academy of Dermatology. Sunscreen FAQs.
4. American Academy of Dermatology. Sunscreen and tinted sunscreen guidance.
5. Morgado-Carrasco D, Piquero-Casals J, Granger C, Trullàs C, Passeron T. Melasma: the need for tailored photoprotection to improve clinical outcomes. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2022;38(6):515-521.
6. Ito N, et al. The Protective Role of Astaxanthin for UV-Induced Skin Deterioration in Healthy People. Nutrients. 2018;10(7):817.