The History of Sunscreen

The history of sunscreen is full of baffling twists and turns, and full of idiosyncrasies now lost in the torrent of time. We’re #sunscreengeeks here: so, trust us to jump right into the rollercoaster of invention that’s brimming with mountaineers, vets and Nazis (and the Riviera).

Why sunscreen? – The 1920s

There’s one big paradigm shift that occurred in the 1920s that directly led to the invention of sunscreen. Although it sounds contradictory at first it is that tanned skin became chic. After centuries, no, millennia in which light skin was a clear indicator of “I’m better than you because I don’t have to work in the sun”, now, tanned skin became an indicator of “I’m better than you because I don’t have to work and can instead travel and lounge on a beach”.

Beauty standards are always interwoven with class and society issues. I can only urge you to read Rae Nudson’s excellent book “All made up” that dives into that topic much better than I can.

Tanning is hip! Surprise!

Coco Chanel (first Nazi alert!) is generally credited for this paradigm shift. It’s not correct. The whole set she moved in (full of British, American and French high society) brought that to a pass. Tanning was in: and with that, bathing suits revealing more and more skin. Consequently, “tanning oils” were supposed to care for skin aggravated by the sun. It was a time of budding nudism, outdoor culture and “wandervögel” (hiking enthusiasts). Outdoor sports rose to the fore, and the benefits of being “outside in the sun” were widely spread. Doctors were quick to announce health benefits of sun bathing, and Nazism promoted healthy bodies in, and in harmony with nature. (Second Nazi alert!)

Let’s prevent sunburn! – The 1930s

Nevertheless, with excessive sunbathing came problems: people experienced how painful sunburn can be and looked for ways to prevent that.

In the 1930s, scientists and researchers and cosmetic formulators came independently to similar solutions.

“In 1935, Eugène Schueller invents the first sun protection oil, Ambre Solaire, the only tanning oil that contains a sun filter. “Tanning five times faster without burning,” becomes possible. It’s a revolution! Ambre Solaire oil becomes the essential product on the beach for the very first paid holidays. Summer after summer, the legendary and original fragrance, a subtle blend of rose and jasmine, quickly became synonymous with summer holidays.”

(L’Oreal)

It makes you tan faster, without negative side effects like sunburn, AND they managed to launch it right before the introduction of the first paid summer vacation?! What a smash hit for L’Oreal. Also, isn’t it interesting that here’s the birth hour of the European approach to sunscreen as something that’s only used during the summer holidays?

Everybody wants in: Hamilton, Delial, Nivea

in Australia, chemist A.H. Milton Blake created the first patented sunburn prevention cream in 1932. He used the filter “Phenyl salicylate at a concentration of 10%. Its protection was verified by the University of Adelaide and it was also produced commercially by Blake’s company, Hamilton Laboratories” (Wikipedia) which still runs today.

In 1933, Beyer launched their first sun protection cream called Delial, a name that many German-speaking people will recognize. The brand is still around today. (Also, you might know Beyer: they invented a little pill called Aspirin…)

Nivea also jumped in on the action and launched their famous Nivea Cream with added sun protection. They promoted it quite aggressively with the first movie ad in colour, which is honestly one of the weirder things I’ve ever seen. It’s like an ad for a cult.

It bears adding that since 1933, the Nazis were in power in Germany and the ad subtly references that zeitgeist with its stressing of “healthy” pursuits like sports and outdoor activities and family. (Nazi alert nr. 3.)

WW II disrupts everything – the 1940s

Franz Greiter, a young mountaineer and student of chemistry in Austria, got badly sunburned in 1938 when he climbed Mount Piz Buin. The eponymous sunscreen called Piz Buin Gletscher Crème (Glacier Cream) was released in 1946 and was supposed to have had a SPF2. Greiter is also credited to have invented the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) as a measuring tool to determine how long a sunscreen will protect you.

Then, in 1944, during WWII in the South Pacific, airman Benjamin Green concocted another form of sunscreen that was then included in soldiers’ survival kits: a red, sticky gooey kind of reddish Vaseline called “red vet pet”. (Don’t ask me, the linguistic subtleties are quite lost on me, here. I’ve no idea if that was also used on animals?! By vets?!?! I just know that it was previously used on cuts and burns.) I also haven’t been successful in completely figuring out what that exactly was. But I can tell you it was unpleasant to use. So, Green went back to the kitchen, added cocoa butter and jasmine to his brew, and after the war, Coppertone was born.

The history of sunscreen: Modern times – with an SPF16

It bears stressing that all sunscreens until the 1960s were “chemical”. In the 50s titanium dioxide was first used, then zinc oxide. (The FDA only approved them in 1999 (!).) The 60s, though, were still a momentous decade for sunscreen, because for the first time, scientists connected skin aging with sun exposure. On top of that, there was a growing knowledge of the different kinds of harm UVA and UVB radiation might present. At the end of the 60s, formulators came up with waterproof sunscreens.

Still, in the 80s the most prevalent sunscreens offered SPFs between 2 and 6. The most used filters were Octylmethoxicinnamate in the UVB range and Avobenzone in the UVA range. (With Octyltriazone to stabilize Avobenzone.) At the end of the century, most SPFs ranged between 15 and 30.

The Nambour Study

Still, in Australia there was a study conducted that proves how important sunscreen truly is. The Nambour Study that was conducted in Queensland, Australia from 1992 to 1996. It was a randomised controlled study with 1.600 participants. Half of the group applied sunscreen daily, the other half applied sunscreen whenever they thought it was needed (remember, it was the 1990s). The sunscreen used had an SPF16 (!!!) and the filters used were Avobenzone and Octinoxate (more here).

After 4.5 years, the daily sunscreen group showed no increased signs of aging. The control group (sunscreen use whenever they felt like it) had a 40% higher incidence for skin cancer during the trial. Over the following 15 years, the daily sunscreen group had a 73% lower incidence for skin cancer.

Tl, dr: why is the history of sunscreen important anyway?!

As a kid in the 80s and teenager in the 90s in Germany, I can add from personal experience that being tanned was still very much a beauty ideal. Being sunburned after vacationwas a badge of honour. I actually can’t remember that my family ever used sunscreen but during the summer beach holidays. I began wearing sunscreen regularly at the end of my 20s.

Sunscreen has become a very contentious topic during the last years, mainly because it’s driven by fear. Fear-mongering is everywhere, not only by so called clean beauty brands, but also by skincare influencers. (Sunscreen shaming is a thing.)

Looking back at the history of sunscreen (so far) is not only an amusing info tidbit. I found it very interesting to see how it’s knotted into societal beauty norms and large-scale history. And that’s true today, too: no matter if you wear sunscreen every day for anti-aging purposes, or come back from a vacation proudly burnt, or “wear sunscreen only as a highlighter” (oh Gwynnie), or wear only “reef-safe” sunscreens, when we use sunscreen and tell the world about it, we acknowledge our beauty belief system that stands behind that decision.

What do you think?