The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved bemotrizinol as a new sunscreen ingredient for the U.S. market, marking the first such approval in more than two decades.

The chemical compound was added to the FDA's list of permitted sunscreen active ingredients, representing the first expansion since the late 1990s. Bemotrizinol has been widely used in sunscreen products sold in Europe and Asia for years.

According to the FDA, bemotrizinol provides protection against both ultraviolet A and B rays while demonstrating low levels of absorption through the skin into the body. The ingredient's safety and effectiveness profile helped support its approval for use in American sunscreen formulations.

The approval comes as part of ongoing regulatory updates to sunscreen standards in the United States. The lengthy gap between new ingredient approvals has been a point of discussion in the cosmetics and dermatology industries, with advocates noting that consumers in other regions have had access to newer sunscreen technologies for years.

Sunscreen manufacturers will now be able to incorporate bemotrizinol into their formulations for products sold in the U.S. market, potentially offering consumers additional options for sun protection.