The Food and Drug Administration approved a new sunscreen ingredient Friday, June 13 — the first such approval in the United States in 20 years.
The compound isn’t new to the rest of the world. It has been used in sunscreen products across Europe and Asia for decades, though the FDA hadn’t cleared it for sale in the American market until now.
The U.S. has long lagged behind other countries on sunscreen ingredient approvals. European and Asian regulators cleared several newer compounds years ago; American consumers have had access to a much narrower list. That gap has drawn criticism from dermatologists who argued domestic products were falling behind what was available overseas.
The FDA didn’t immediately release a full public explanation of what specific conditions or testing requirements the new ingredient had to clear before approval. Whether manufacturers will begin reformulating products — and when those products might reach store shelves — hasn’t been announced.
Originally reported by NPR. Read the original report.
