The History of Sunscreen

Sunscreen started out like many other great inventions; someone had a problem, namely – sunburn – and sought an effective solution. It’s a product we often take for granted, think little about or avoid, but sunscreen is an important part of our culture and best health practices. Here’s how it came to be.

In 1938 Swiss chemist Franz Greiter suffered sunburn while climbing Mt. Piz Buin on the Swiss-Austrian border. He vowed to prevent that unpleasant experience from happening again. His answer to the sun’s harsh rays came in the form of Gletscher Crème (Glacier Cream) and became the basis for the company Piz Buin, still a leader in sun care products today.

Greiter wasn’t the only one feeling the heat. Benjamin Green, an airman and pharmacist, had been grappling with the same problem. Green’s solution was red pet vet (red veterinary petrolatum), a heavy, greasy ointment he used to protect himself and other soldiers from the sun during World War II. The jelly had no sun blocking properties, however and only worked as a physical barrier between skin and the sun. After the war, Green experimented with his invention, adding coco butter and coconut oil. In the early 1950s this new version became Coppertone suntan cream. The Coppertone girl was created as an important part of the companies brand messaging in 1956. The character was drawn by illustrator Joyce Ballantyne, who used her three-year-old daughter as a model.

Piz Buin founder Franz Greiter also continued to play an important role in sunscreen development. In the 60s he introduced the world to the sun protection factor or SPF. His company also pioneered sunscreen with ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) filters in the 1970s. During this era, governments started to regulate SPF products for safety and effectiveness.

Modern sunscreens have either a physical or chemical sun filter, or a combination of the two. What does this mean? Physical filter sunscreens lay a thin membrane on top of the skin that acts as a reflective barrier against the sun’s rays. Physical filters are usually coloured. A common example would be the whiteness of zinc oxide.

Chemical filters get absorbed into the upper layers of skin. They absorb the sun’s rays and protect deeper levels of skin from damage.

Lotions that protect against both UVA and UVB are most useful and are generally called “broad spectrum” sunscreen. All physical filter lotions protect against both UVA and UVB, but some chemical filter lotions only protect against UVB, so read the labels carefully.

UVB rays are the culprits for sunburn, frying the topmost layer of skin. Such burns can lead to cancerous changes in the body’s cells. SPF measures the effectiveness of a particular sunscreen against UVB rays.

UVA rays, on the other hand, don’t burn. They silently penetrate the skin, causing advanced aging, cell damage and skin cancer. Just because your sunscreen has a high SPF doesn’t mean you’re fully protected from the harmful effects of the sun. Make sure you use a broad spectrum lotion to prevent the negative impact of UVA rays.