La Roche-Posay has launched its first Anthelios sunscreen containing bemotrizinol (BEMT), which the outlets identify as the first UV filter the FDA has approved for over-the-counter sunscreens in more than 25 years.

The L'Oréal-owned brand's new Anthelios UV Defense SPF 50 arrived in the US on October 20 at $39.99, per Cosmetics Business, which reports it is available on larocheposay.us and Amazon per Happi.

Although BEMT has been used in European and Asian sunscreens for years, the FDA only added it to its list of permitted US sunscreen active ingredients this summer. Cosmetics Business calls the 40-year-old Anthelios franchise a category-defining sun care range and a bestseller for the brand.

The surprise is the gap the launch closes: according to Cosmetics Business, no new ingredient had been approved for use in American over-the-counter SPFs since 1999, even though BEMT has long been a staple of European formulas.

Happi notes broad-spectrum UVA/UVB coverage up to 370nm and reports that Neutrogena was actually out of the gate last month with its own slate of BEMT-powered sunscreens, meaning a decade of waiting ended with two major brands racing within weeks.

L'Oréal's Steve Lynch told both outlets that BEMT may be new to US formulations but is a filter the company already knows well internationally, stressing that what matters is how it works within the complete filtering system to deliver protection, stability and consumer experience.

Both outlets describe an amplified Cell-Ox Shield complex offering 16 hours of antioxidant and anti-pollution defense.

According to Cosmetics Business, litchiderm, a Litchi Pericarp Chinensis extract, supercharges antioxidant defense against oxidative stress, while EXO-P, an alteromonas ferment extract, acts as a biomimetic shield against urban pollution and smoke.

Happi reports the sunscreen has a lightweight, milky texture that melts into skin with no white cast, an invisible finish, and up to 24-hour hydration. Cosmetics Business adds that it is dermatologist tested and suitable for sensitive skin, with a natural, dewy finish.

The stakes go beyond one product.

Cosmetics Business quotes Grace Riggenbach, GM of La Roche-Posay US, saying one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime yet only 11% wear sunscreen every day, and that closing that gap means addressing barriers to daily use, especially for sensitive skin.

'Our goal is simple: make sun protection something people want to wear every day,' she said.