Neutrogena taps BEMT, bets on skinified sun care for daily SPF use

Neutrogena has launched a sunscreen technology called Cloud-Tech, centering on the first new sunscreen filter the US FDA approved in over 25 years: bemotrizinol, or BEMT. The new ingredient touts stronger UVA protection than older filters while offering a lighter skin feel. Neutrogena has tapped the newly FDA-approved UV filter in two sunscreen launches. 

The Kenvue-owned brand built Cloud-Tech to address the sensory concerns people cite when using sun-protection formulations. According to the brand, consumers want strong sun protection, but high-SPF sunscreens often feel heavy and uncomfortable, which leads some people to either use too little or skip the skin care step completely. 

“Nearly half of US households don’t buy sunscreen at all, and texture, feel, and cosmetic elegance are consistently cited as top barriers to daily use,” Jipsha Thakrar, Neutrogena Sun product development lead, tells Personal Care Insights. 

Neutrogena touts the two newly launched products, Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 60 and Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen SPF 70, to deliver weightless protection with an invisible texture. According to the brand, the formulas dry fast and leave a silky finish. 

“Consumers increasingly expect their sunscreen to perform like the rest of their skin care and makeup routine — layering cleanly under foundation, not pilling, not leaving a white cast,” Thakrar says.

“That ‘skinification’ of sun care, where SPF is expected to look and feel as good as a serum or moisturizer, is exactly the gap BEMT-enabled formulas like Cloud-Tech are designed to close.”

According to Thakrar, the main gap that BEMT fills in sun care formulations is photostable UVA protection, which “will reduce some of the dependence on formulating with the other organic sun filters.”

Dual-action formula

Neutrogena is using BEMT in two sunscreen launches designed around lighter textures and daily use.

Neutrogena explains that US mineral sunscreens typically use TiO2 (titanium dioxide) and ZnO (zinc oxide), while organic sunscreens, which make up most of the category, rely most heavily on octocrylene, octisalate, homosalate, and avobenzone.

“The inclusion of avobenzone is critical, as prior to BEMT, it was the only filter capable of protecting against UVA radiation in formulations of broad-spectrum sunscreens,” says Thakrar.

However, she adds that BEMT has a unique absorbance profile compared to currently approved US UV filters.

“It absorbs certain UV wavelengths more effectively than other filters and offers broad-spectrum UV coverage with high efficiency. Overall, BEMT provides broad-spectrum coverage and formulation efficiency that can enhance the effectiveness of UV filters currently available in the US.”

According to Neutrogena, BEMT works best alongside other filters at approved concentrations, so the brand combined it with its existing Helioplex360 technology. The combination of the two ingredients covers both UVA and UVB rays.

“BEMT is a large molecular weight sun filter with an inherent broad-spectrum absorbance profile that is photostable, so it can protect against both UVB and UVA,” Thakrar says.

She adds that, based on the brand’s observations, 6% BEMT is sufficient to deliver the filter’s intended benefits.

“We have consistently seen up to 6% BEMT perform synergistically with other US-approved sunscreen actives,” she says.

Incentivizing sun care

Sunscreen brands are increasingly focusing on texture and cosmetic elegance to help promote daily SPF use.

Neutrogena’s two sunscreen launches bring extra skin care benefits, with each product containing added clinically proven actives. 

Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 60 contains niacinamide and vitamin E to help acne-prone skin look clearer without clogging pores. Meanwhile, Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen SPF 70 uses the brand’s patented Micro-Peptide Technology. The technology is said to hydrate the skin and visibly improve signs of aging. Neutrogena claims Ultra Sheer feels 50% lighter on the skin than other leading sunscreens.

The brand says the launch ties into its broader mission of advancing safe daily sun care habits. By targeting enhanced sensorial properties, Neutrogena hopes the launch will encourage users to use sunscreen more responsibly.

“Neutrogena has spent decades advancing sun safety education and sunscreen innovation, even within the historically limited set of approved UV filters available in the US,” Thakrar explains.

“Access to additional filters like BEMT creates new opportunities to further improve both performance and consumer experience.”

The brand recently partnered with the Melanoma Research Foundation to bring together public health experts, policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and advocates to discuss skin cancer prevention. The participants of the campaign also pushed for better public health guidance.

The move came amid the personal care industry’s closer focus on consumers’ sun care habits.

A recent report by Spate found that brands that treat SPF like sunscreen are losing competitiveness against brands that treat it like skin care.

Last year, Personal Care Insights reported on a trend where the FDA’s hands-off approach to consumer safety raised credibility questions for SPF brands. Legal barriers pushed formulators to use chemical boosters in sun care formulas, despite marketing the products as 100% mineral, leading to “doping” concerns.