The Surprising Origins of Sunscreen

You probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about sunscreen, other than making sure to slather some on before heading out into the sun. But this ubiquitous summertime staple actually has a surprisingly interesting history. Here's a quick rundown of how sunscreen went from being used to protect soldiers from the sun to becoming a staple in beach bags across the country.

The first recorded use of sunscreen dates back to ancient Egypt, where both men and women would cover their skin with a mixture of TAZO (a tar-like substance),ancient psoralen (a plant that makes you sensitive to sunlight), and jasmine oil before spending time in the sun. While there's no record of how effective this sunscreen was, it's safe to say that it wasn't particularly pleasant to wear!

Flash forward a few thousand years to World War I, where sunscreen was first used for its now-intended purpose: protecting soldiers from the harmful effects of the sun. At the time, soldiers were susceptible to a condition called actinic keratosis, which causes redness, itchiness, and blistering on sun-exposed skin. In an effort to protect soldiers from this painful condition, the U.S. military commissioned three research teams to develop an effective topical sunscreen.

One team, led by chemist Benjamin Green, found that PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), when combined with other ingredients, was quite effective at protecting skin from UV radiation. Green eventually created Coppertone suntan cream, which hit store shelves in 1944 and quickly become one of the most popular sunscreens on the market. In addition to PABA, Coppertone contained cocoa butter and lanolin to moisturize skin, and it had a light coconut scent that made it pleasant to wear.

While Coppertone was certainly an improvement over ancient Egyptian sunscreen, it wasn't perfect; many people found that it left their skin feeling sticky and greasy. In response to this feedback, scientists began searching for new ingredients that would be less irritating and more aesthetically pleasing. In 1978, Padimate O (PABA's successor) was introduced as an active ingredient in sunscreens; it offered better UV protection than PABA while also being more cosmetically acceptable. Since then, there have been many advances in sunscreen technology; nowadays, you can find sunscreens with SPF ratings as high as 100+, meaning they're good for up to 10 hours of sun exposure!

The next time you slather on some sunscreen before heading out into the sunshine, take a moment to appreciate all the work that went into making it—you might be surprised by how interesting the history of sunscreen actually is!

 

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