Sunscreen as a protective product against the sun has a history with multiple contributors, but its invention as we know it today dates mainly from the early to mid-20th century. The earliest modern form of sunscreen is credited to Swiss chemist Franz Greiter, who created the first effective sunscreen in 1938 after getting sunburned while climbing Mount Piz Buin. Around the same time, in the late 1920s to early 1930s, South Australian chemist H. A. Milton Blake developed one of the first commercial sun-blocking creams. Further developments continued in the 1940s, when Benjamin Green formulated a mixture using red veterinary petroleum ("red vet pet"), cocoa butter, and coconut oil, which became the basis for Coppertone Suntan Cream. In 1946, Franz Greiter commercialized his product called Glacier Cream (Gletscher Crème), sold under the brand Piz Buin, which is still available today. Additionally, the founder of L'Oréal, Eugene Schueller, is sometimes credited with creating an early form of sunscreen in 1936. Franz Greiter also introduced the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating system in 1962, which remains the standard for measuring sunscreen effectiveness today. In summary:
- 1920s-1930s: Early commercial sunscreen by H. A. Milton Blake.
- 1936: Eugene Schueller's early sunscreen development.
- 1938: Franz Greiter invents modern sunscreen after sunburn incident.
- 1944: Benjamin Green invents improved sunscreen formula.
- 1946: Piz Buin Glacier Cream launched by Greiter.
- 1962: Introduction of SPF rating by Greiter.
Thus, sunscreen was invented and evolved primarily during the 1930s and 1940s, with key inventions by Franz Greiter and Benjamin Green.
