When Was Sunscreen Invented? A Quick History
Who invented sunscreen?
Quick Answer
The first commercial sunscreen was developed in 1932 by Australian chemist H.A. Milton Blake. The modern sun protection brand era kicked off in 1946 when Franz Greiter launched Gletscher Crème after a bad burn in the Alps. The SPF rating system we still use today came later, in 1962.
When the sun is up, you grab the tube. It's a standard reflex, especially here in Australia. But the tube in your hand has changed a lot over the years. Here's how we got to the formula you use today.
What people used before sunscreen existed
Before chemistry, people used what they had. Ancient Egyptians applied rice bran and jasmine. The Greeks rubbed on olive oil. In parts of Asia, people used mud and plant pastes. None of it blocked much UV, but it was better than raw skin against the midday sun, and the habit of covering up became the first version of sun protection.
The history of sunscreen: a timeline
Chemist H.A. Milton Blake started mixing formulas in his home lab in Adelaide. His UV-absorbing cream became the basis for Hamilton Laboratories and was one of the first sunscreens sold commercially anywhere in the world. Australia was doing sunscreen before most of the world had a word for it.
Wartime necessity drove invention. American pharmacist Benjamin Green created a barrier for soldiers in the Pacific: a red, sticky veterinary petrolatum. Heavy and uncomfortable, but it stopped the burn. The formula later evolved into Coppertone.
After a bad sunburn on Mt. Piz Buin in the Alps years earlier, Austrian student Franz Greiter finally released Gletscher Crème. It's the product most people point to as the start of modern sun protection brands.
Greiter introduced the Sun Protection Factor. For the first time, people had a number on the bottle that told them something useful about how the product worked.
Our story started right here in Australia. The plan was simple: make effective sunscreen at a fair price. For us, it's all about giving you a reliable bottle so you can stop worrying about the label.
When was SPF invented?
The SPF rating landed on sunscreen bottles in 1962, but what it actually measures is more useful than the year it showed up. SPF is a ratio: how much longer your skin can handle UVB before it burns compared to wearing no sunscreen at all. An SPF 30 is telling you a different story than an SPF 15, and the numbers aren't marketing. In Australia the TGA caps the label at 50+, which is why you won't see an SPF 80 or 100 on any Australian shelf. Maxiblock sits at the top of that range because the Australian sun doesn't really give you a reason not to.
What was the first sunscreen made of?
Milton Blake's 1932 cream relied on a single UV-absorbing compound called phenyl salicylate, better known as salol. One filter, one job. It caught a slice of the UV spectrum and that was it.
The filters got more ambitious over time. PABA dominated the 1950s and 60s until it started staining shirts and irritating skin. Cinnamates and benzophenones came next. Then zinc oxide and titanium dioxide joined the line-up, and formulators started blending filters together instead of relying on one. That shift from single filter to blended formula is how sunscreen got from "stops your nose going red" to proper broad spectrum coverage across UVA and UVB. Here's how the mineral and chemical filters in a modern tube actually work.
Why sunscreen took off in Australia first
It's no accident that the first commercially successful sunscreen came out of Adelaide. Australia sits under some of the most intense UV on the planet. The ozone layer is thinner, the summer sun angle is steeper, and the outdoor life starts at breakfast. By the early 1930s people here were already looking for something that worked, and Milton Blake was one of the chemists trying to give it to them. Ninety-odd years later, Australia still sets the pace on everyday sunscreen use. The job of the formula in your tube is the same as the job of Blake's: keep the sun off your skin so you can get on with your day.
Frequently asked questions
Who actually invented sunscreen first?
Several chemists were working on UV-absorbing creams in the early 1930s, but Australian chemist H.A. Milton Blake is usually credited with the first commercially successful one in 1932.
How old is the SPF number on the bottle?
The SPF rating is over sixty years old. Franz Greiter introduced it in 1962. The calculation method has been refined a few times, but you're still looking at Greiter's system every time you pick a 30 or a 50+.
Is sunscreen really an Australian invention?
Australia has a strong claim. Milton Blake's 1932 formula was developed in Adelaide and became the foundation of one of the world's oldest sunscreen companies. Given how harsh the UV is here, it makes sense it happened here first.
What's the oldest sunscreen brand still around?
Hamilton Laboratories, born from Blake's 1932 formula, is one of the oldest. Piz Buin followed in 1946. Coppertone grew out of Benjamin Green's wartime work in the mid-1940s. All three are still on shelves in one form or another.
How has sunscreen changed since the 1930s?
A lot. Early sunscreens covered a narrow slice of the UV spectrum, felt heavy, and rubbed off easily. Modern formulas handle UVA and UVB, stay on in water for hours, and come in textures you can actually wear under a shirt on a work site.