History of sunscreen: An updated view

With the global sunscreen market expected to reach $24.4 billion worldwide by 2029, this demonstrates the increasing awareness of the damaging effects of sunlight. Sunscreen has been gradually evolving, and new photoprotective ingredients are continuing to be produced in response to growing scientific evidence on the effect of solar radiation on the skin.

This literature review aims to provide an updated view of the history of sunscreens.

A literature search was conducted with the keywords "Sunscreen, history, regulation, ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, visible light" from PubMed, Medline, and online search engines.

Humankind has always found ways to provide photoprotection since 4000BC. Only in the last century, evidence-based sunscreens have existed. The first ultraviolet B filters were produced in 1928, its evidence of efficacy and safety discovered in 1956 and development of sun protection factor in 1974. Similarly, sunscreen containing ultraviolet A filters was released in 1980 and the ultraviolet A star rating system developed in 1992. Regulatory bodies for sunscreen were introduced in the 1970s and have sought to review the safety and efficacy of ingredients. With the rising number of researches on the effects of visible light on hyperpigmentation over the past decade, the need for photoprotection beyond ultraviolet has been increasing.

To provide consumers with evidence-based sunscreen, challenges remain in acquiring further evidence, regulation, and rating systems.