Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology
The historical aspects of sunscreens
Introduction
Somewhere along the path of human origin, our antecedents climbed down from the trees, left the darkness of the tropical forest and advanced onto the open steppes. When they had lost most of their pelage, the early travelers must have noted that the warmth of sunlight was all too often followed by the painful heat of inflamed skin.
Section snippets
The ancients
There is little literature on the way in which ancient people protected themselves against the sun. For millenia, clothing was related to the local climate. About 5000 years BC weaving was discovered, and in Egypt cotton, wool and flax was made into cloth. In India mostly cotton was used. Evidence from paintings shows that in tropical countries only parts of the body were covered by clothing (dhoti, the brief skirt of the Egyptians) but that also more extensive coverings, particularly of women
The discovery of the effects of ultraviolet radiation
Spectral radiations outside the narrow band of visible light were discovered by Sir William Herschel, who in 1800 found that a thermometer registered a higher temperature beyond the visible red end of the spectrum than within it [1], and by Ritter who in 1801 showed stronger chemical action on silver chloride below the visible end of the spectrum [2]. That light has harmful as well as salutary effects has been known since antiquity. Xenophon, describing the sufferings of Cyrus’ soldiers in the
Sunscreens — the early days
In 1891 Hammer published an interesting monograph on the influence of light on the skin [11]. In that he reviewed the accumulated evidence that erythema solare was primarily due to the effects of UVR. He repeated some of Widmark’s experiments, in particular on the protective effects of quinine. He was the first to specifically recommend the use of chemical sunscreens: ‘Materials which prevent UVR from reaching the skin protect it from erythema solare.’ By the end of the 19th Century, a number
Sunscreens — modern development
The most successful of the early 20th Century sunscreens was certainly ‘Ambre Solaire’. In 1935, Eugene Schueller [24] prepared a sunscreen containing benzyl salicylate as UVR absorber in an oily vehicle. Schueller, who founded the company known today as L’Oreal, was a master of publicity. He used the then new radio programs and billboards. After WWII, a tanned skin became synonymous with health. Schueller produced posters of tanned girls, apparently among the first to wear a bikini swimsuit
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