Sunscreen in American History
As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary this Fourth of July, and with it one of the most sunburned days of the year, it is hard to imagine that sunscreen didn’t even exist until the 1930s and the SPF rating until 1962! That means that the American flag has been part of our lives considerably longer than any number printed on a bottle of sunscreen. So, as you scan the endless options for sunscreen in the store this Fourth of July, remember it is a relatively young concept!
When our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the only meaningful defenses against the sun were hats and shade. The idea of a product dedicated to blocking ultraviolet rays from damaging the skin had not yet entered the public imagination, and it would not do so for well over a century.
Sunscreen Makes an Appearance
An Australian chemist named Milton Blake is generally credited with developing one of the first commercial sunburn creams around 1932. In Europe, a Swiss climber named Franz Greiter endured a severe sunburn during a hike in the Alps and resolved to find a solution, eventually formulating a glacier cream that would go on to become the Piz Buin brand. Greiter was also the figure responsible for the SPF rating system, the familiar number that consumers now examine on every bottle.
The American Chapter
For the United States, the story truly begins with World War II. A pharmacist and airman from Florida named Benjamin Green observed firsthand how severely soldiers stationed in the Pacific suffered under the relentless sun, and he became convinced that a better form of protection had to be possible. He developed a thick, red, greasy substance known as red veterinary petrolatum, which proved effective despite its unpleasant odor and heavy texture, leaving very few people eager to apply it.
After the war, Green returned to Miami and continued refining his formula, adding cocoa butter and coconut oil to improve both its scent and the way it felt on the skin, and the resulting product became Coppertone. Even after sunscreen was widely accepted, our nation took a while to ensure the product was effective against the sun’s harmful rays. For decades, the majority of American sunscreens blocked only UVB rays, the wavelengths responsible for burning, while doing nothing to guard against UVA rays, the wavelengths that accelerate aging and inflict more serious, longer-lasting damage. It was not until 1988 that the FDA approved a sunscreen offering true UVA protection.
Why the Fourth of July Demands Extra Care
The Fourth of July ranks among the very worst days of the entire year for sunburn, and it does so by a considerable margin. Consider everything the holiday typically involves, from afternoons spent at the beach or the lake to lingering backyard barbecues and long stretches spent gathered around the pool, all of it followed by an evening sitting outdoors, waiting for the fireworks to begin. The sun reaches its strongest point of the year around July 4th, when families remain outside for much of the day, and the festive atmosphere makes it all too easy to forget to reapply protection. The result is something very close to a perfect storm.
This year promises to be an especially significant occasion. The nation’s 250th anniversary will bring more parades and festivals, drawing larger crowds outdoors and keeping them there longer than a typical holiday would. As a consequence, a considerable number of people are likely to wake up on the fifth of July nursing painful sunburns that could have been avoided altogether. A lifetime of sunburns can increase the risk of skin cancer, but an annual checkup can help stay ahead of it!
Keeping It Simple
Sunscreen doesn’t have to be complicated or inconvenient. A broad-spectrum sunscreen rated at SPF 30 or higher applied before heading outdoors, and reapplied throughout the day, can provide adequate protection and prevent painful sunburns. After swimming and sweating, sunscreen should be reapplied. Sunscreen gradually wears away over the course of the day, and one application alone cannot reasonably be expected to carry a person through an entire day of celebration.
The nation is marking its 250th anniversary, and yet the modest bottle tucked into your beach bag has not even existed for one hundred of those years. For the vast majority of American history, people managed without it entirely. There is no reason, then, to spend this milestone holiday weekend rediscovering through painful experience exactly why sunscreen was invented in the first place.
Have a wonderful Fourth of July, and please remember to apply your sunscreen. If you experience painful sunburns that blister, contact your dermatologist for the best care guidance to avoid scarring!