Almost every television channel and skin care product company is trying to promote their sunscreen. Sunscreen has become very important over the last few years. Sunscreen is important if you want your skin to stay healthy, glowing and guarded.

In fact many skin experts in addition to doctors recommend applying sunscreen to avoid the sun's damaging effects, especially after the recent increase of skin cancer. But have you ever wondered how these so-called important sunscreens ever come into existence. Who invented this indispensable thing? Let us find out...

Discovery of Sunscreen

Humans always wanted to look attractive. Even in ancient times, people desired to avoid sunburn. This takes us back to the Egyptian days. Egyptians always considered light skin more beautiful than dark skin. However, Egypt's sun-drenched environment made it difficult to maintain light and radiant skin. Recently, the papyri and tomb walls were translated and this revealed that the Egyptians used the ingredients of potions to ward off tan and also heal damaged skin.

The Egyptians used ingredients that have been rediscovered by modern scientists. For example, the Egyptians used rice bran extracts in some of their sunscreen formulas. Today, gamma oryzanol is extracted from rice bran as it has UV-absorbing properties. The Egyptians also used jasmine in their version of sunscreens. Recently a study revealed that jasmine helps to heal DNA at the cellular level in the skin and also mends skin damage. Lupine extract was also used by the Egyptians to lighten the skin and all these ingredients are still used in our sunscreens.

In the early 1930's, a South Australian chemist, HA Milton Blake, experimented and produced a sunburn cream. Following this invention, the founder of L'Oreal Company, chemist Eugene Schueller refined the invention and the first sunscreen made its debut in 1936.

Later in 1938, a famous chemist called as Franz Greiter developed a cream which he named as Gletscher Crème or Glacier Cream. He also came up with something called as the sun protection factor which is now known as SPF factor in a sunscreen. Franz invented the SPF factor which then became a standard for measuring the effectiveness of sunscreen when applied at an even rate of 2 milligrams per square centimetre. The initial Glacier cream contained SPF of two. This formula was picked by a company called as Piz Buin.

Post this, many others tried experimenting with the sunscreens and many variants made their debut. In 1944, Florida based pharmacist, Benjamin Green patented another version of sunscreen. He called it as Red Vet Pet, and his patent was bought by a company called as Coppertone who sold it as "Coppertone Girl" and "Bain de Soleil" in the early 1950s.

Finally in 1980, Coppertone developed the first UVA/UVB sunscreen which has been in the markets with different names.

Future of sunscreen

Scientists are still searching for more effective ways to protect the human body against the sun. One goal of these scientists is to develop a sunscreen pill. Also, significant attention is been given to a substance called astaxanthin that is found in red ocean plants and animals, such as salmon. Astaxanthin is considered as the most effective protection against free radicals found till date in nature. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant that helps in reducing the pain and swelling associated with sunburn.

With so many developments happening in beauty field, it is a good idea to wait and watch for the new versions of this sunscreen.