By the end of the year, U.S. consumers will see a new sun protection option on store shelves. The products will be especially beneficial to those with fair skin and hair, as well as light-colored eyes, autoimmune conditions like lupus and a predisposition to skin cancer, in addition to those wanting to curb the aging effects of sun exposure.
The difference between sunscreen sold across the country now and what’s coming soon is the chemical compound bemotrizinol, which was approved by the FDA just this summer. Dr. Aubriana McEvoy, a dermatologic surgeon at Washington University School of Medicine, said this regulatory change will provide people with greater protection against the sun that extend beyond preventing the pain and discomfort of sunburn.
“Current sunscreen options don’t do a great job of covering us against UVA radiation. SPF, sun protection factor, is actually based on UVB radiation,” she explained on “St. Louis on the Air.”
“Historically, our sunscreens are rated based on how good they are at preventing sunburn, not necessarily preventing aging and skin cancer. This new ingredient does a much better job at covering for UVA. It brings our coverage from about 25% all the way up to [more than] 90%.”
In addition to addressing myths around the safety and efficacy of sunscreens — which anti-sunscreen social media influencers have questioned over the last few years — McEvoy described how bemotrizinol, also known as BEMT or Tinsorb S, works.
She also gave tips on the proper application of different types and forms of sunscreen. Spray varieties, for instance, are meant to be applied generously and rubbed into the skin.
She added that it is never too late to begin incorporating sunscreen into regular skincare routines.
“The sun exposure we get throughout our life tends to become a little riskier because our immune system ages with us. Our immune system’s job is to fight germs as well as to fight cancer, and as we get direct DNA damage from the sun, our immune system typically is … cleaning it up,” she said. “As we get older, it doesn’t do quite as good of a job at doing that. So I do think that it’s worth protecting yourself at any point in your life.”
For more details about the science of BEMT, distinctions between mineral- and chemical-based sunscreens, and genetic — and geographic — factors that place people at greater risk of skin cancer, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube or click the play button below.
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