For 27 years the FDA approved no new UV filter, while Korea and Europe formulated with modern ones freely. In June 2026 that finally started to change.
In June 2026 the FDA cleared bemotrizinol — the filter Korea and Europe know as Tinosorb S — for use in US sunscreens, making it the first new UV filter the agency has approved since 1999 [1]. That 27-year gap is the whole reason Korean and European sunscreens have felt a generation ahead: they were built on modern filters American formulators were legally barred from using. Understanding that regulatory backstory explains why a Korean SPF often feels lighter and protects UVA better than its US counterpart.
FAQ
Why hadn't the FDA approved a new sunscreen filter since 1999?
US sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, and adding a new active ingredient requires clearing a monograph safety-and-effectiveness process that stalled for decades. Filters widely used in Korea and Europe sat in that backlog; bemotrizinol only received a final FDA order in June 2026, the first new filter approval since 1999.
Are Korean sunscreens actually better than American ones?
Often they feel better and protect UVA more strongly at a given texture, because Korean brands could use modern, photostable filters US brands couldn't. But "better feel and UVA" isn't "only real protection" — US mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide already offer broad-spectrum coverage. The gap was cosmetic elegance and UVA strength, not whether protection was possible.
What is a PA rating on a Korean sunscreen?
PA grades UVA protection, from PA+ to PA++++, based on a lab measurement of persistent pigment darkening. SPF only measures UVB (burning). If your concern is photoaging or dark spots — both UVA-driven — the PA rating (or "broad spectrum" on a US label) is the figure to check, not SPF alone.
References
- FDA finalizes action on bemotrizinol, first new active sunscreen ingredient in 20 years (final order June 9, 2026; up to 6%; first since 1999) — Healio Dermatology, 2026
- Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S): broad-spectrum UVA/UVB, photostable filter used in the EU/Asia/Australia for decades
- FDA Proposes Expanding Sunscreen Active Ingredient List (bemotrizinol proposed order, December 2025) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025