自二十多年来首次，美国人在购买防晒霜时有了新选择：一种长期在欧洲和世界其他地区被广泛使用的皮肤防护化学品。美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）于六月批准了苯并三嗪醇（Bemotrizinol），有时也称为BEMT。目前，含有该成分的首批防晒霜正在美国商店货架上架，包括强生旗下中性笔（Neutrogena）及其他厂商的配方。
For the first time in more than a quarter-century, Americans have a new option when shopping for sunscreen: a skin-protecting chemical that’s long been a go-to option in Europe and other parts of the world. The US Food and Drug Administration approved Bemotrizinol — sometimes called BEMT — in June. The first sunscreens containing it are now hitting US store shelves, including formulas from Neutrogena and other manufacturers.
皮肤科医生表示，这种化学品通过提供广谱防护，填补了重要的市场空白，其防护效果相当于最成熟的防晒霜成分，但没有它们的美容缺点，例如泛白条纹。BEMT背后有数十年的安全数据支持，包括研究表明其对皮肤的吸收极低。这一直是一些较老防晒化学品的担忧所在。“这不是一个全新的成分，您不会是第一个尝试它的人，”纽约大学朗格尼健康中心的皮肤科医生珍妮弗·斯坦（Dr. Jennifer Stein）表示。
Dermatologists say the chemical fills an important market gap by offering broad protection, like the most well-established sunscreen ingredients, but without their cosmetic downsides, including white streaking.BEMT has decades of safety data behind it, including studies showing it has minimal absorption into the skin. That’s been a concern with some older sun-blocking chemicals.“It’s not a brand-new ingredient that you’re going to be the first person to try,” said Dr. Jennifer Stein, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health.
以下是您需要了解的内容：要有效防护，防晒霜必须同时抵御两种可能损伤皮肤的紫外线——UVB射线，它导致大多数晒伤；以及UVA射线，它具有导致皮肤癌和皱纹的最高风险。能够同时阻断这两种射线的防晒霜被标注为“广谱防护”。未能做到这一点的产品必须贴上FDA警告标签。BEMT是美国首款提供这种双重防护的化学类防晒成分。
Here’s what to know:To be effective, sunscreens must protect against both forms of ultraviolet light that can damage the skin — UVB rays, which cause most sunburn, and UVA rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer and wrinkles. Sunscreens that block both forms are labeled “broad spectrum protection.”Those that don’t must carry an FDA warning label.BEMT is the first chemical-based sunscreen in the US that offers this dual protection.
此前，制造商必须混合多种成分才能同时防护UVA和UVB光。“这种成分为目前在提供强效UVA防护方面存在的重大空白提供了解决方案，”环境工作组（Environmental Working Group）首席科学官大卫·安德鲁斯（David Andrews）表示，该组织是一个倡导提高防晒霜标准的非营利机构。另一类使用氧化锌和二氧化钛等矿物质的防晒霜早已被证明能够对这两种紫外线提供强效防护。
Previously, manufacturers had to mix multiple ingredients to protect against both UVA and UVB light.“This ingredient provides a solution for what is currently a big gap with respect to providing strong UVA protection,” said David Andrews, chief science officer of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that advocates for higher sunscreen standards.A different class of sunscreens, using minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, has long been shown to offer strong protection against both forms of ultraviolet light.
这些矿物质配方通过物理方式阻挡皮肤受到的有害射线。但有些人 — — 尤其是肤色较深的人 — — 往往会避免使用它们，因为它们会导致出现白色条纹和变色。在其他情况下，人们不喜欢它们的质地或稠度。“这些是很好的防晒霜，”斯坦说。“但对于那些不太愿意使用它们的人 — — 也许他们不喜欢它在皮肤上的感觉 — — 这是一个不错的选择。”
These mineral-based formulas work by physically blocking harmful rays from the skin. But some people — particularly those with darker complexions — tend to avoid them because they cause white streaking and discoloration. In other cases, people don’t like their texture or consistency.“Those are good sunscreens,” Stein said. “But for people who aren’t so inclined to use them — maybe they don’t like how it feels on their skin — this is a nice option.”
化学防晒霜被皮肤吸收这一事实意味着它们必须经过仔细研究，以确保它们不会在体内以不安全的水平积累。上个月，FDA 在确定其“通过皮肤吸收的程度超过之前所了解的程度”后，撤销了对一种较老的化学成分苯酮的批准。BEMT 则不存在这个问题。“这是一种分子太大，无法真正穿透皮肤并进入血液中的分子，”斯坦说。
The fact that chemical-based sunscreens are absorbed into the skin means they have to be carefully studied to make sure they aren’t building up in the body at unsafe levels. Last month, the FDA revoked approval of an older chemical ingredient, oxybenzone, after determining it was “absorbed through the skin to a greater extent than previously understood.”That’s not a problem with BEMT.“It’s a molecule that’s too big to really penetrate through the skin and get absorbed into the bloodstream,” Stein said.
“较老的化学防晒霜具有小分子。”作为其安全审查的一部分，FDA 审查了荷兰制造商 DSM 营养产品公司对超过 500 名患者进行的 BEMT 研究。研究发现，吸收到皮肤中的该化学物质的水平几乎不可检测。机构审查人员表示，对每天使用该防晒霜长达三周的人进行的研究表明，BEMT “不会引起刺激” 或过敏反应。因此，FDA 将该成分指定为“普遍认为安全有效”，与较老的矿物质成分氧化锌和二氧化钛并列。
“The older chemical sunscreens had small molecules.”As part of its safety review, the FDA reviewed studies of BEMT in more than 500 patients conducted by Dutch manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products. Levels of the chemical absorbed into the skin were nearly undetectable, the studies found. Agency reviewers said research in people who used the sunscreen daily for up to three weeks showed that BEMT “did not cause irritation” or allergic reactions. As a result, the FDA designated the ingredient as “generally recognized as safe and effective,” alongside the older mineral ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
目前，美国防晒霜中还使用了十几种其他成分，但 FDA 表示，它们需要提供更多证据来支持其安全性和有效性。FDA 的审查是一项从 2019 年启动的、旨在全面改革美国防晒霜成分的持续努力的一部分。科学家已经表明，一些防晒霜成分可能引发珊瑚礁漂白和损害。
More than a dozen other ingredients are currently used in US sunscreens, but the FDA has said they will require additional evidence to support their safety and effectiveness. The FDA review is part of an ongoing effort to overhaul US sunscreen ingredients that kicked off in 2019. Scientists have shown that some sunscreen ingredients can trigger bleaching and damage coral reefs.
这导致了对两种化学成分的禁用 — — 最近被FDA点名的苯酮-3（oxybenzone）和辛氧酸酯（octinoxate） — — 在夏威夷和佛罗里达州部分地区实施。据估计，人们涂抹在皮肤上的防晒霜中约有25%会在游泳或涉水时被海水冲洗掉。美国政府不对防晒霜的环境影响进行分类，而诸如“珊瑚礁安全”或“珊瑚礁友好”之类的营销声明缺乏统一定义或要求。
That’s led to bans on two chemical ingredients — oxybenzone, the ingredient recently targeted by the FDA, and octinoxate — in Hawaii and parts of Florida. It’s estimated about 25% of the sunscreen people apply to their skin washes off while swimming or wading in the ocean. The US government doesn’t classify the environmental impact of sunscreens, and marketing claims like “reef safe” or “reef friendly” have no standard definition or requirements.
欧盟环境署发现，BEMT具有“有限的环境毒性证据”，但需要更长期的研究。矿物成分如氧化锌通常被认为对环境更安全，尽管一些专家建议远离所谓的纳米配方。这些产品使用微小颗粒制成，更容易被吸入或被海洋生物吸收。专家表示，BEMT还有一个关键优势，那就是它在阳光下不会快速分解。这一点一直是另一种过滤UVA光的化学成分 — — 遁苯酮（avobenzone） — — 的特殊问题。
The European Union’s environmental agency has found “limited evidence of environmental toxicity” with BEMT, but longer-term research is needed. Mineral ingredients like zinc oxide are generally considered safer for the environment, although some experts recommend staying away from so-called nano formulations. Those products are made with tiny particles that are more likely to be inhaled or absorbed by marine organisms. Experts say BEMT has one other key advantage, in that it doesn’t quickly break down in the sun. That’s been a particular issue for avobenzone, the only other chemical-based ingredient that filters UVA light.“Avobenzone has been known to be particularly unstable on its own, and a lot of work and reformulation efforts have gone into trying to find ways to stabilize it,” said Andrews.
“遁苯酮单独使用时众所周知不够稳定，大量工作和再配方努力都投入到了寻找稳定它的方法上，”安德鲁斯说。“BEMT的稳定性显著更高。”与所有防晒霜一样，皮肤科医生表示，每隔几小时重新涂抹很重要 — — 如果游泳或大量出汗则需要更频繁地涂抹。此外，斯坦表示，人们在户外活动时不应仅依赖防晒霜。在阴凉处休息、戴帽子和穿防晒衣都是重要的防护措施。“防晒霜只是整体防晒计划的一部分，”斯坦说。“衣物甚至更好。”
“BEMT is significantly more stable.”As with all sunscreens, dermatologists say it’s important to reapply every few hours — more frequently if you’re swimming or sweating a lot. Also, people shouldn’t rely on sunscreen alone when spending time outside, Stein said. Taking breaks in the shade, wearing a hat and sun-protective clothing are all important protections.“Sunscreen is just one part of an overall sun-protection plan,” Stein said. “Clothing is even better.”