Why doesn't the US have better sunscreen?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Indicator from Planet Money

Episode Title: Why doesn't the US have better sunscreen?
Date: July 20, 2026
Hosts: Darian Woods, Wayland Wong
Guests: Charlotte Palermino (Dew skincare), Selmasinia (DSM Firmaniche), Alex Tavarock (GMU Economics)

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Overview

This episode dives into a burning economic and public health question: Why has U.S. sunscreen fallen behind the rest of the world? The hosts explore the science, regulations, behind-the-scenes lobbying, and the high stakes for public health. Hear firsthand from a skincare entrepreneur, an executive from a global chemical company, and an economist, as they shine a light on the tangled regulatory process that, until recently, prevented modern, lightweight sunscreens from reaching American consumers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Problem: Why Are US Sunscreens Stuck in the Past?

• Charlotte Palermino’s Experience [(00:28)]:
  • Tried a Japanese sunscreen in 2018; was shocked by its superior texture compared to U.S. products.
  • “Biore UV aqua Riche. It is an incredible texture. It has a beautiful cooling, watery effect.” (Charlotte Palermino, 00:34)
• Regulatory Backstory [(00:47-01:24)]:
  • The U.S. FDA had not approved a new sunscreen ingredient since the late 1990s.
  • Result: U.S. sunscreens are less pleasant (gloopier, stickier) and potentially less effective.
  • Stakes: Over 5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S.; better sunscreen could prevent many.

Sunscreen as a Drug, Not a Cosmetic

• FDA’s Approach [(04:12)]:
  • Sunscreen regulated as a drug, not as a cosmetic, which requires evidence for both safety and efficacy.
  • This standard leads to lengthy and expensive clinical trials.

Industry Efforts: The Case of DSM Firmaniche

• Corporate Push for Approval [(04:30-05:27)]:
  • DSM Firmaniche tried to get a widely used ingredient, Bemotrizinol (Bimotrizenil), approved in the U.S.
  • The process spanned decades and involved clinical trials with nearly 500 diverse U.S. participants.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic delayed FDA priorities, adding new hurdles.
  • “[We] spent at least $18 million to try to get that FDA approval.” (Darian Woods, 05:27)

Advocacy and Legislation

• Activism and Lobbying [(03:53-06:13)]:
  • Charlotte Palermino became an advocate—calling representatives, making educational videos, even collaborating with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  • Video campaign: Urged viewers to “break through some of the regulatory barriers” at the FDA.
• The CARES Act and New Laws [(05:44-06:19)]:
  • CARES Act (2020) began to streamline the sunscreen ingredient approval process.
  • 2025 law allowed the FDA to accept more types of safety and efficacy evidence.
  • Bimotrizinol was approved in June 2026—first new broad-use active in ~30 years.

The Economic Argument: Is FDA Too Cautious?

• Alex Tavarock’s Perspective [(06:39-09:16)]:
  • Argues the FDA is excessively risk-averse, causing “over precaution, deadly precaution.”
  • “Wanting to be too safe can actually make you less safe.” (Alex Tavarock, 07:00)
  • Proposes a “peer approval” model: automatic U.S. acceptance of drugs/devices approved by respected foreign agencies (e.g., European Medicines Agency).
  • Analogy: U.S. trusts foreign driver’s licenses for tourists; could do the same for medicines.
• Risks and Historical Context [(08:13-08:39)]:
  • Hosts raise the example of thalidomide—an unsafe drug that caused birth defects in other countries—highlighting the value of strong regulation.
  • Tavarock counters: excessive caution causes its own invisible deaths (“invisible graveyard”) from diseases left untreated or prevented.

The FDA’s Response and Current Outlook

• FDA's Position [(09:26-09:44)]:

  • FDA claims prior ingredient applications lacked sufficient safety data, justifying their stance.
  • Their requirements are backed by outside expert groups.

• What’s Next? [(09:44-09:57)]:

  • Charlotte Palermino and others are now formulating sunscreens using the newly approved ingredient.
  • “We’ve been working on formulas for years and so working on it.” (Charlotte Palermino, 09:48)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On U.S. Sunscreen Habits:
  • “Only 13% of people in America are wearing sunscreen daily.” (Charlotte Palermino, 02:57)
  • “You and Paul Rudd.” (Charlotte Palermino to Darian Woods about sunscreen use, 03:09)
• On Face Washing:
  • “Your face is part of your body.” (Charlotte Palermino, 03:27)
  • Lighthearted exchange as Darian admits neglecting facial hygiene, followed by Charlotte’s playful roasting.
• On Regulation:
  • “It is too risk averse. In fact, you can have over precaution, deadly precaution. Wanting to be too safe can actually make you less safe.” (Alex Tavarock, 07:00)
  • “People are buried in what I call the invisible graveyard.” (Alex Tavarock, 08:39)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |------------|--------------------------------| | 00:28-00:47 | Charlotte Palermino discovers better foreign sunscreens | | 01:24-01:40 | Why the US is behind – FDA regulatory standstill | | 04:12-04:30 | Drug vs. cosmetic status of sunscreen ingredients | | 04:47-05:27 | DSM Firmaniche’s efforts with Bimotrizenil | | 05:44-06:19 | Legislative moves: CARES Act, 2025 law | | 06:39-07:11 | Tavarock: FDA’s risk aversion and its consequences | | 07:42-08:04 | Peer approval concept explained | | 08:13-08:39 | Thalidomide, the case for strong regulation | | 09:44-09:48 | Charlotte’s plans for a new sunscreen formula |

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Tone & Style

• Lively, conversational, and informative.
• Mix of hard-hitting policy discussion and light, accessible moments (e.g., Darian's skin care struggles).
• Encouraging activism and dialogue around regulatory issues.

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Summary

This episode sheds light on the intertwining of cosmetics, health, economics, and law. The U.S. lag in sunscreen innovation is tied to cautious FDA regulation designed for drugs rather than cosmetics, resulting in decades-long delays for new, potentially life-saving ingredients. Recent legal changes—and tireless activism—finally brought a breakthrough in 2026, but the debate about balancing safety and access continues. The lively panel of guests leaves listeners with both insight and a call to reexamine the American way of regulating health products.

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For further questions, recommendations, or sunscreen tips, contact your representative—or just start by wearing sunscreen every day (and washing your face, too).

Transcript

[Selmasinia]

Npr.

[Darian Woods]

Charlotte Palomino runs a company called Dew.

[Charlotte Palermino]

Dew is a clinical skincare brand.

[Wayland Wong]

She's also popular on TikTok and Instagram.

[Darian Woods]

I don't know, is Skinfluencer a bit too crass to say? How would you say it?

[Selmasinia]

Yes.

[Sponsor Announcer 1]

No.

[Charlotte Palermino]

I mean, I talk a lot about skincare on the Internet and so yes, I try to influence people on purchasing decisions.

[Darian Woods]

In 2018, Charlotte was in a specialty skincare shop and she tried on a Japanese sunscreen.

[Charlotte Palermino]

I remember putting it on my face and being like, what is this? Biore UV aqua Riche. It is an incredible texture. It has a beautiful cooling, watery effect. And I remember I applied so much on my face.

[Wayland Wong]

It was then that Charlotte learned that the United States just doesn't have great sunscreens. Unlike the rest of the world, the Food and Drug Administration hadn't approved a new sunscreen ingredient since the late 90s.

[Darian Woods]

And this means that the sunscreen here is gloopier and stickier. Discouraging people to use also means the US Is behind on the effectiveness of its sunscreens, which is important because there's more than 5 million cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the US each year. Sunscreen could have prevented many of those cases. This is the indicator from Planet Money. I'm Darian Woods.

[Wayland Wong]

Welcome back. And I'm Wayland Wong. Today on the show how to Get Better Sunscreen, we look at why the US Went into a sunscreen freeze. What this tells us about American regulation and one economist's proposal to fix the burning problem.

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[Darian Woods]

NPR when you Interview a skincare influencer. You have to ask for tips.

[Wayland Wong]

Of course.

[Darian Woods]

What's one piece of skincare advice you give me? I use nothing apart from daily sunscreen.

[Charlotte Palermino]

You are doing so great.

[Darian Woods]

What?

[Charlotte Palermino]

So I was looking at the stats. It's a ridiculous number. Like, only 13% of people in America are wearing sunscreen daily.

[Darian Woods]

So I'm already in the top 13% of sunscreen.

[Charlotte Palermino]

You and Paul Rudd.

[Wayland Wong]

Paul Rudd, ageless skincare icon. I also wear sunscreen on my face every day.

[Charlotte Palermino]

Look.

[Darian Woods]

But, you know, she had some more

[Charlotte Palermino]

to say I would recommend. Do you wash your face?

[Darian Woods]

I don't. I mean, I have a shower, so my face, incidentally, gets some. But I don't consciously wash my face. No.

[Charlotte Palermino]

Like, do you wash your body?

[Alex Tavarock]

Yeah.

[Charlotte Palermino]

So your face is part of your body.

[Darian Woods]

That is true.

[Wayland Wong]

Charlotte with the facts.

[Darian Woods]

I got roasted. Waylon.

[Wayland Wong]

Did she recommend some products for you then?

[Alex Tavarock]

Yeah.

[Darian Woods]

There's some other things about exfoliations and I don't know, but I gotta get the basics first. Anyway, it was time to move along. All right, enough about my hygiene habits. So when you learned that the US Lacks superior sunscreens, what did you do?

[Charlotte Palermino]

So I first. Well, I called my representatives. You know, I love complaining on the Internet.

[Darian Woods]

Don't we all?

[Charlotte Palermino]

I know, right? I'm like, I'm half French. It's part of my culture. But I also started making videos and creating, you know, resources for people to call their representatives.

[Wayland Wong]

Charlotte learned that one reason why the US Is slower to approve sunscreen ingredients is that it's regulated as a drug and not a cosmetic. That means that ingredients need clinical evidence not only that they're safe, but that they're effective, too. One Swiss, Dutch company was trying to meet those standards. Charlotte found out.

[Charlotte Palermino]

I got in touch with DSM Firmaniche, where I found out that they were actually doing a lot of the work.

[Wayland Wong]

DSM Firmaniche was sponsoring an ingredient to get recognized as generally safe and effective. The company's hope was that it could then sell an ingredient wholesale to sunscreen makers. The ingredient was called Bimotrizenil Parand.

[Darian Woods]

Selmasinia is the president of the company's beauty and care group.

[Selmasinia]

It's been used internationally for many, many, many years, but it had not been available for the U.S. market. It was a void in the U.S.

[Darian Woods]

when did the process start?

[Selmasinia]

Oh, my God, A long time ago. It's decades and decades that we have been at work with this.

[Darian Woods]

Peran says they did clinical studies on nearly 500 participants, representing the diversity of the U.S. she also says that the

[Wayland Wong]

COVID pandemic put them at a lower priority for the FDA for understandable reasons.

[Selmasinia]

There were some moments that we were very scared, oh my God, is this gonna come at the end of the day? And we knew it was a matter of time.

[Darian Woods]

DSM Firmaniche spent at least $18 million to try to get that FDA approval. Charlotte Palomino was impressed.

[Charlotte Palermino]

They had lobbyists and I had to, you know, learn the hard way on how things are actually moved through, you know, sometimes arduous legislation.

[Wayland Wong]

The CARES act in 2020 was a key piece among all the COVID relief funding. It also created a more streamlined process for companies to try to get sunscreen ingredient approval. But even a couple years after this passed, we still didn't have any new sunscreen ingredients. So Charlotte teamed up with a Democratic representative. Hello everyone, this is Rep. Aoc and

[Charlotte Palermino]

I'm here with Charlotte Palermino, am a brand owner, but also.

[Wayland Wong]

And they made a short video together.

[Charlotte Palermino]

Please contact your member of Congress, ask

[Wayland Wong]

them to break through some of the regulatory barriers. At the fda.

[Darian Woods]

This became sort of a bipartisan issue. A law was passed in 2025 that allowed more types of safety and efficacy evidence to be accepted. In June this year, Bimotrizenol was approved in the US the first active sunscreen ingredient to be broadly used in about three decades.

[Wayland Wong]

Alex Tavarock is a professor of economics at George Mason University who's been writing about the FDA and sunscreen for a long time.

[Alex Tavarock]

Only finally now, after such a long delay, are we getting it approved in the United States.

[Wayland Wong]

He thinks that the long delay for sunscreen is representative of a wider issue, which is an over cautious Food and Drug Administration.

[Alex Tavarock]

It is too risk averse. In fact, you can have over precaution, deadly precaution. Wanting to be too safe can actually make you less safe.

[Darian Woods]

One in five Americans will get skin cancer by age 70. Most will survive, but the numbers could be reduced with better and more frequently used sunscreen.

[Wayland Wong]

Now, Alex is not denying that there could be risks from new ingredients.

[Alex Tavarock]

30, 50 years, 100 years from now, maybe we'll find out that the sunscreens we approved were not as safe as they thought they were. Okay. But in the meantime, we know the sun can cause cancer and we ought to be making the best choices we can today.

[Darian Woods]

So Alex has a solution.

[Alex Tavarock]

If another stringent authority like the European Medical Agency, if it approves a drug or device, it ought to be automatically approved.

[Wayland Wong]

In the United States, this idea is called peer approval.

[Alex Tavarock]

If a German tourist comes to the United States, as many recently have. You know, for the World cup, we accept their driver's licenses.

[Darian Woods]

Yeah. The US Trusts the German government to regulate who can and can't drive. Alex thinks it should be the same for medicine.

[Wayland Wong]

Now that is not without risks.

[Darian Woods]

So what about the risk of something being approved that ends up being really bad for people? I'm thinking about thalidomide, the morning sickness drug. In the 1960s it was refused approval by the FDA, but other countries approved the drug and that resulted in more than 10,000 babies being born with birth defects. Isn't a strong FDA protecting us from repeats of the thalidomide disaster?

[Alex Tavarock]

In my view, thalidomide killed far more people by creating this excessively precautionary risk averse attitude in the FDA than it ever did by briefly being approved in elsewhere. People are buried in what I call the invisible graveyard. And because they're much harder to see, the political process does not take into account the deaths in the invisible graveyard as much as it does the fewer but more visible injuries which are caused when a bad drug sometimes is approved.

[Wayland Wong]

Republican Senator Ted Cruz actually introduced a bill in recent years to fast track the approval of drugs that are allowed in peer countries. It hasn't gained a lot of traction.

[Darian Woods]

We asked the FDA why it had taken so long to approve any new sunscreen ingredients, and in a statement they wrote that previous applications for new ingredients were lacking sufficient scientific information about their safety. They cited an outside group of experts that backs up the FDA's requirements.

[Wayland Wong]

As for Charlotte Palermino, she has plans to make a sunscreen with Bemitriginol.

[Charlotte Palermino]

We've been working on formulas for years and so working on it.

[Darian Woods]

And as for me, I've started washing my face.

[Wayland Wong]

Darian so Charlotte influenced you to start washing your face?

[Darian Woods]

I was skinfluenced. Before we go, we're doing a live Q and A this Thursday with Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. She's gonna help us understand what's going on in the US Housing market and answer your question questions. It's on Thursday, July 23rd at 3pm Eastern or noon Pacific. For plus supporters, check out the latest bonus episode in the Planet Money feed for details. And if you haven't joined plus yet, now's the time. Just go to plus.npr.org this episode was produced by Julia Ritchie with engineering by Travis Hagan. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez Cake and Cannon edits the show and the indicator is a production of npr.

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