The benefits of sunscreen have been known for thousands of years. Even the Greeks used a mixture of sand and oil to attempt to protect themselves from the sun while training for the Olympics. Christopher Columbus was the first to write about the use of sunscreen. Columbus wrote in his journal while visiting an island in the Caribbean that the people of the island “all paint themselves, some black, some other colors, but mostly red. I have learned that they do this on account of the sun, which does not injure them as much if they are painted.”
In the 1930’s, the first modern sunscreens were developed. An Australian chemist Milton Blake and the founder of L’Oreal cosmetics both developed sunscreens but neither were very effective protection against the sun. The first effective sunscreen was formulated by Franz Greiter in 1938. He created Gletscher Crème in a small laboratory in his parent’s kitchen after becoming severely sunburned while climbing Piz Buin, a mountain on the Swiss-Austrian border. In 1946, Greiter’s sunscreen became commercially available with the brand name Piz Buin.
The first sunscreen widely used in the United States was developed by Benjamin Green in 1944. Green became aware of the negative impact of the sun while stationed in the Pacific with the Army Air Corps. “Red Vet Pet”, as his product was originally known, was a red colored petroleum jelly-like gel which was greasy and unpleasant to use. Green worked in his wife’s kitchen to improve the sunscreen. A mixture of cocoa butter and jasmine were added to the product. Green successfully tested the product on his own bald head.
The sunscreen was much easier to use and did offer some protection against the sun. Green began selling the product around Miami. Even though the product was still thick and went on like paint, customers were very enthusiastic about is ability to help prevent sunburn. Green founded the Coppertone company to market and sell his product. Today Coppertone is still one of the major producers of sunscreen.