KEY TAKEAWAYS
- •BASF has launched Tinosorb S (bemotrizinol) in the US after the FDA approved the ingredient as a sunscreen active
- •The launch runs under a co-exclusive license agreement with DSM Nutritional Products LLC, covering both domestically manufactured and imported sunscreens
- •Tinosorb S offers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and is known for photostability, including stabilizing other filters in a formula
- •The ingredient has been a staple of European and Asian sun care for years but was previously unavailable to US formulators
- •BASF says it will work with US manufacturers and brand owners to speed up product development using the new filter
For years, the argument went something like this: American sunscreens lag behind European and Asian ones because US regulators have been slow to approve newer UV filters. That argument just lost one of its strongest examples. BASF has launched Tinosorb S — its trade name for bemotrizinol — in the United States, after the FDA cleared the ingredient as a sunscreen active.
The launch follows the FDA's approval of bemotrizinol and runs under a co-exclusive license agreement between BASF and DSM Nutritional Products LLC. The deal covers sunscreens made in the US as well as products imported into the country, meaning both domestic manufacturers and international brands selling into the US market can now formulate with it.
It is not a new molecule. Bemotrizinol has been sold internationally for years, most notably across Europe and Asia, where it is considered one of the more advanced broad-spectrum filters on the market. What changed is not the chemistry. What changed is that it can now legally go into a sunscreen sold on a US shelf.
A Filter the US Sunscreen Industry Has Been Waiting On
Industry watchers have flagged bemotrizinol as one of the more conspicuous absences from the US market for some time. Formulators elsewhere have had access to it for years; US brands wanting the same performance have had to either work around its absence or sell a different formula overseas than the one they sell domestically.
That gap is part of a broader, longer-running story about the pace of US sunscreen filter approvals compared with other regulatory markets. Whatever the reasons behind the timeline, the practical effect has been a US sun care market working with a narrower ingredient list than its counterparts abroad.
The FDA's clearance of bemotrizinol doesn't rewrite that history, but it does close one specific gap. Formulators building facial sunscreens, body sunscreens, or SPF-rated skincare in the US now have a tool that was previously restricted to their counterparts overseas.
Bemotrizinol, sold under BASF's Tinosorb S trademark, has been a fixture of European and Asian sunscreen formulas for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Natalie Avery covers the full spectrum of modern beauty — from lab-backed skincare breakthroughs to the cultural conversations driving clean and conscious wellness. Her writing brings both scientific grounding and genuine enthusiasm to every story she tells.
