A new option to protect against the sun's rays

I always remind people about sunscreen at this time of year, but later in 2026, we’ll have a new kid on the block — a third kind of sunscreen. First, let’s review.

Until now, there were two types of sunscreens. The first are nonchemical, physical sunscreens such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, the white stuff lifeguards used at the beach when I was a kid and generally still use today.

These minerals do not dissolve into your blood, so if you’re concerned about chemicals entering your body, these are the ones to use. They reflect the sun. The problem is they don’t look good.

Now, I know many of you older folks don’t care about “looking good,” but when you were a teenager or in your 20s, well, you remember the deal. Looks meant a lot. I remember sunbathing in baby oil to get a quicker, darker tan with no thought to my future skin.

So the barrier sunscreens are not cosmetically elegant; smoosh it over your face and you might look like Casper, the friendly ghost. Yes, they are chalky and they take a long time to rub in, but they are a physical deterrent to those solar rays. Very effective.

The second type of sunscreen we’re familiar with uses chemicals such as — long scientific names here — avobenzone, octinoxate and oxybenzone. They form a thin film over your skin, absorb ultraviolet rays and, through a chemical reaction, inactivate them and then chemically convert them into heat that is then released from your skin.

Of these three chemicals, I recommend staying away from oxybenzone, as it seems to be the most troublesome when it comes to skin.

But in August, there will be a new type of sunscreen that contains bemotrizinol, also known as BEMT and marketed as Tinosorb S. Bemotrizinol is the first new over-the-counter sunscreen active ingredient in the United States in more than 20 years.

Already popular in Europe and Asia, it offers highly stable, broad-spectrum protection against ultraviolet rays without leaving a white cast of zinc. It’s a new type of reflective sunscreen.

Bemotrizinol effectively filters both UVA (aging-related and cancer-causing) and UVB (sunburn-causing) rays covering a wide range of wavelengths. Also, unlike older chemical filters that degrade rapidly in the sun, bemotrizinol is highly stable. It doesn't break down quickly, which means it doesn’t need to be reapplied as frequently.

As mentioned, it doesn’t leave that ghosty white cast. And because it’s a large-molecule chemical configuration, it does not easily penetrate the skin or absorb into the bloodstream, making it a well-tolerated and safer option than the second type of chemical sunscreens discussed above.

You will soon have a third choice in sunscreens. But until then, here is some advice for what we have now.

Pick one that is SPF 30 or above and, to ensure you will use it, choose one that is aesthetically pleasing to you. I often use the spray because I like it better than the cream. And I have a stick sunscreen for my face. It’s not messy or oily, and it doesn’t get my hands all gunked up.

When you go to where you get cosmetics, talk to the cosmetologist and ask them what would be good for you.

My mom was a cosmetologist at Wieboldt’s, a department store in Chicago, the store for the working women. She had a permanent facial droop from a surgical procedure that saved her life at age 16. She got diphtheria — there was no immunization for it yet — that went into her skull bones, so they opened it up and drained it. But the procedure left her with a facial droop.

She took her physical malady for what is was and was the top seller in her cosmetic department. Why? Not just because she was friendly, and not just because she was my mom, but because everyone remembered “the lady with the droop” was the one they wanted to buy cosmetics from.

OK, back to sunscreen — I do digress at times.

What about kids? Keep it safe and only use children’s brands. They contain the nonchemical, physical barrier sunscreens, which are safest for kids’ tender skin.

Also consider protective clothing, especially with kids. Think of the Bedouins, nomadic people who live in the desert. They don’t walk around in shorts and a tank top. They cover up.

Wearing lightweight long-sleeve tops and bottoms along with a wide-brimmed hat offers you better protection than anything else. If you’re by the pool all day, consider purchasing a swim top. Your arms and shoulders, as well as everything up to your neck, will be protected.

My spin: Fun in the sun means safe fun in the sun. When the new sunscreen comes out, we will have what I think is a major step forward for sun protection. Better coverage, less risk. Stay well.