Neutrogena launches Cloud-Tech line featuring Bemotrizinol
The brand aims to deliver stronger UVA protection in formulas that feel lighter and more cosmetically elegant for daily facial use.
USA – Neutrogena has introduced Cloud-Tech, a new sunscreen technology built around bemotrizinol (BEMT), the first new UV filter the US FDA has approved in more than 25 years.
According to Neutrogena, Cloud-Tech was inspired by K-beauty sunscreens and is designed to overcome sensory barriers, such as heaviness, greasiness, pilling, and white cast, that often lead consumers to underapply or skip sunscreen altogether.
The technology comes in two facial sunscreens: Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 60 and Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen SPF 70, both formulated to dry quickly, leave a silky, invisible finish, and layer cleanly under makeup.
Neutrogena describes the feel as “weightless” and cloud-like, positioning the products as sunscreens that perform like skincare rather than traditional high-SPF formulas.
BEMT is a large-molecular-weight, photostable organic filter with a broad-spectrum absorbance profile that covers both UVA and UVB, and that can reduce reliance on some legacy organic filters while improving overall formulation efficiency.
Since US regulations currently allow BEMT at up to 6%, Neutrogena combines it with other approved UV actives and its proprietary Helioplex360 antioxidant complex to achieve comprehensive UVA/UVB coverage and enhanced protection compared with non-BEMT formulas.
Before BEMT, avobenzone was the only US-approved filter that delivered UVA protection in broad-spectrum sunscreens, and BEMT’s unique absorbance profile lets it absorb certain UV wavelengths more effectively while working synergistically with existing US filters.
Each Cloud-Tech sunscreen also includes clinically proven skincare actives to align with the “skinification” of sun care, where SPF is expected to look and feel as good as a serum or moisturizer.
Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 60 is designed for acne-prone skin and contains niacinamide and vitamin E to help skin look clearer without clogging pores.
Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen SPF 70 features Neutrogena’s patented Micro-Peptide Technology, along with antioxidants, to hydrate and visibly improve signs of aging while defending against UVA, UVB, and blue light; the brand claims it feels about 50% lighter on skin than some leading sunscreens and delivers roughly 1.5 times more UVA protection at the same SPF versus its prior non-BEMT formula.
According to Neutrogena, the launch is part of its broader mission to advance safe daily sun habits, noting that nearly half of US households do not buy sunscreen at all and that texture, feel, and cosmetic elegance are consistently cited as top barriers to regular use.
In support of this mission, the brand recently partnered with the Melanoma Research Foundation to convene a Sun Consensus Meeting of public health experts, policymakers, clinicians, researchers, advocates, and media to discuss skin-cancer prevention and opportunities to strengthen public health guidance and regulatory progress.
The move arrives as the personal care industry increasingly treats SPF as skincare, with market data suggesting brands that position sunscreen like skincare are gaining competitiveness over those that treat it purely as sun protection.
At the same time, formulators have been navigating constraints in the US filter palette, including past concerns about “doping” when chemical boosters were used in products marketed as 100% mineral, underscoring the significance of new filter options like BEMT for both performance and consumer experience.
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