Why doesn't the US have better sunscreen?

The United States has faced a decades-long freeze on new sunscreen ingredients because the FDA classifies them as drugs rather than cosmetics, requiring rigorous clinical evidence that stifles innovation. This regulatory bottleneck has left American consumers with stickier, less effective products compared to international alternatives. Skincare brand owner Charlotte Palomino successfully campaigned for legislative changes, leading to the 2025 approval of Bemetrizanol, the first new active sunscreen ingredient in thirty years. Economist Alex Tabarrok contends that the FDA’s excessive risk-aversion results in an "invisible graveyard" of preventable skin cancer cases. He advocates for a "peer approval" system, where the U.S. would automatically authorize ingredients already vetted by other stringent international regulatory bodies, arguing that the current precautionary approach ultimately causes more harm than the risks it seeks to mitigate.