FDA approves a well-known sunscreen ingredient—finally
6/22/202612 min
The FDA recently approved a sunscreen ingredient called bemotrizinol, or BEMT, that’s been used in Europe and Asia for years. This is the first new sunscreen ingredient approved in the United States in over two decades. Meanwhile, skin cancer has become the most common cancer in the U.S.
Flora discusses the chemistry of sunblock with a sunscreen chemist AJ Addae, and the regulatory process that led to this approval with health journalist Michael Scaturro.
Guests:
Michael Scaturro is a health journalist based in New York City.
AJ Addae is a chemistry PhD student at UCLA and founder of SULA Labs.
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Flora Lichtman· Host1:01
[upbeat music] Hey, it's Flora, and you're listening to Science Friday. The FDA recently approved a sunscreen ingredient that's been used in Europe and Asia for years. It's called bimatrizanol, also known as BEMT. And this is a big deal because it's the first new sunscreen ingredient approved in the US in over two decades. Meanwhile, skin cancer has become the most common cancer in the US. Here to get into the