WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators on Tuesday signed off on the first new sunscreen ingredient for the U.S. market in more than 25 years, giving Americans access to a skin-protecting chemical long used in Europe and other parts of the world.
The Food and Drug Administration says the ingredient, bemotrizinol, met the agency’s standards for protecting from dangerous ultraviolet rays while causing little irritation or absorption into the skin. The ingredient is safe for adults and children 6 months and older, the agency stated in a release.
Bemotrizinol will initially be sold in the U.S. by the Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products under the brand name Parsol Shield, which is expected to launch later in the year. After an 18-month exclusivity period, the ingredient will be available for use by other manufacturers.
Efforts to introduce new sunscreen products have been bogged down for decades by the FDA’s bureaucratic system for updating its lists of safe nonprescription drug ingredients. Bemotrizinol is the first ingredient to go through a streamlined process authorized by Congress in 2020.
Experts say bemotrizinol will fill an important niche in the U.S. market: protecting against both ultraviolet A and B rays while not leaving white streaks associated with mineral-based sunscreens.
"For decades, Americans have used outdated sunscreen tech while the rest of the world moved forward,” said David Andrews of the Environmental Working Group. “The approval of bemotrizinol will help change that.”
Andrews’ group has long pushed the FDA to tighten sunscreen standards and allow new ingredients on the market.
Under FDA rules, all sunscreens must protect against UVB rays, which cause most sunburn, as well as UVA rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer and wrinkles.
Currently available chemical-blocking ingredients only protect against one or the other. Companies generally mix the chemicals in combination to achieve “broad spectrum protection.”
Mineral-based ingredients, including zinc oxide, block both UVA and UVB but leave a chalky white residue.
Bemotrizinol was authorized by European authorities in 1999 and first filed with the FDA for review in 2005.
“The FDA is committed to ensuring the American consumer has access to the most effective and safe therapies, including over-the-counter products like sunscreens,” said Dr. Mike Davis, acting director of FDA’s drug center.
The FDA has been gradually updating its standards for sunscreens. In 2011, the agency banned terms like “waterproof,” which regulators said was misleading, and required that all sunscreens filter out UVA and UVB rays. Previously some formulas only protected against UVB.
In 2021, the FDA proposed additional measures — including capping SPF numbers and requiring stronger UVA protection — but those have not been completed.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - A man applies sunscreen to a woman's arm before a spring training baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox in Phoenix, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — In many previous World Cup cycles over the past three decades, the best and most accomplished players on the U.S. men's roster were their goalkeepers.
Kasey Keller. Brad Friedel. Tim Howard. Brad Guzan. They all played on major international club stages, and their national team could always count on having elite talent in net, even when the rest of the roster wasn't world-class.
That's no longer the case as the current American team prepares for its home World Cup.
While Matt Freese and Matt Turner are both solid domestic professionals, they have yet to match their esteemed predecessors' level of international accomplishment for club or country. Both are hoping they can summit that obstacle over the next few weeks — as soon as coach Mauricio Pochettino lets them know who's starting Friday night, that is.
“It’s fair to say the U.S. has a great goalkeeping corps, historically,” said Freese, the New York City FC keeper. “I was a fan of that goalkeeping corps for most of my life. Still am. And so it’s an honor to be on this team and be a part of that group to hopefully continue that great legacy.”
The U.S. arrived at its final World Cup training base in Orange County this week, but Pochettino has yet to announce which of his goalkeepers will start when his team opens the group stage against Paraguay in Inglewood, California — and it's tough not to see that as an indicator of the state of the U.S. situation in net.
Freese has been the Americans' regular starter since the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer, while Turner was their starter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under coach Gregg Berhalter. Freese seems likely to be Pochettino’s pick for Friday, but the fact that it hasn’t been made yet is interesting for both competitors for the job.
“Not a ton of clarity, but I think the messaging for me is just to always be ready,” Turner said Tuesday. “It’s about training really well, keep fighting, and then the decision will be made."
No matter who gets the nod, the U.S. will have a Major League Soccer goalkeeper in net at the World Cup for the first time. That's a coup for MLS, but the Americans are used to fielding goalies who had success beyond their shores.
The 27-year-old Freese has spent his pro career in MLS since he left Harvard in early 2019. The 31-year-old Turner is also back in North America's top league with the New England Revolution after his European career stalled before it really got rolling.
Pochettino has split up the time in net in the Americans’ four matches in 2026, even working third-stringer Chris Brady into the mix. Turner started their friendly against Senegal last month, while Freese got his turn last weekend against Germany.
Turner knows he is probably behind Freese on Pochettino's depth chart, but the lack of a starting announcement has him working just that much harder.
“Given the fact that I haven’t played a ton in the last year for the national team, of course, for me, that makes me feel like the door is always cracked,” Turner said. “Everyone has a chance. But I think the coach will always pick the guy that’s playing the best, and he’s going to make the right decision for the team, and whatever my role is going to be, I’m going to be ready to do it to the best of my ability.”
Turner made his U.S. debut in early 2021, while Freese only got his first U.S. callup in January 2025, finally making his debut last June. But he quickly seized the starting job and played all six Gold Cup matches, earning praise for a run that included two clean sheets and three penalty saves during a successful shootout.
“I dream of this opportunity,” Freese said. “You work for this opportunity, but you never know if it’s going to come. I learned probably nine years ago, the ones that work hard without the promise of reward are the ones that usually succeed.”
NOTES: All 26 players participated in a full practice Tuesday for the first time in this World Cup training cycle. Tyler Adams, who sat out Monday's light workout for a maintenance day, was in the mix along with defender Chris Richards, who went through his second straight full practice while recovering from an ankle injury he picked up last month with Crystal Palace.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks to reporters after the national team's first practice at its World Cup soccer tournament training base in Irvine, Calif., Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)
FILE - United States goalie Matt Freese (25) directs his team during the first half of an international friendly soccer game against Turkey, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)
