Comment by mil22

19 hours ago

BEMT is the first new ingredient allowed by the FDA since the 1990s. It's meaningful but a very narrow decision. The FDA still has not approved any of the following sunscreens that have been widely used outside of the US, in some cases for decades:

- DHHB / Uvinul A Plus

- EHT / Uvinul T150

- MBBT / Tinosorb M

- Iscotrizinol / Uvasorb HEB

- Drometrizole trisiloxane - Mexoryl XL

- Methoxypropylamino cyclohexenylidene ethoxyethylcyanoacetate - Mexoryl 400

- Polysilicone-15 - Parsol SLX

- Disodium phenyl dibenzimidazole tetrasulfonate - Neo Heliopan AP

- Tris-biphenyl triazine - Tinosorb A2B

- Phenylene bis-diphenyltriazine - TriAsorB

- Diethylhexyl syringylidene malonate (photostabilizer)

If you live in the US, you are quite literally taking a risk with your health using US-made sunscreens. Luckily brands like Beauty of Joseon (Korean) and many others are readily available through sites like Yamibuy.

No one cares more about sun protection than Asian women living in SoCal. My wife and her friends usually use Korean or Japanese brands that they buy here in the states. Seems to work just fine.

There is no risk with using zinc oxide 24%. It works too well and is safe.

The risk is with chemical sunscreens having hormone disrupting effects, although bemotrizinol is expected to be safer in this regard, especially if it's not stacked with older harmful chemicals.

  • Yes, if you're savvy enough to know to stick to sunscreens that contain zinc oxide as the only ingredient (I don't think most people are), and don't mind looking like a ghost (the white cast) or getting white marks on your clothes, this is a safe and effective option. If you aren't checking the ingredients lists carefully, like most people aren't, and you don't know that most sunscreen-containing products in the US are hormone disruptors, like most people don't, your health is at risk.

You are taking a risk with your health by importing sun screen that has not been FDA approved.

  • It may surprise you to learn that there are countries that have better laws and regulations than the US.

    • Such as? Most of Europe has far less regulations when it comes to sunscreen, as it is classified as cosmetics not drugs.