Federal health regulators on Tuesday signed off on the first new sunscreen ingredient for the US market in more than 25 years, giving Americans access to a skin-protecting chemical long used in Europe and other parts of the world.

The Food and Drug Administration says the ingredient, bemotrizinol, met the agency's standards for protecting from dangerous ultraviolet rays while causing little irritation or absorption into the skin. The ingredient is safe for adults and children 6 months and older, the agency stated in a release.