Most people used scarves or clothing items to avoid direct sun exposure. Rice, crushed jasmine petals, olive oil, sunflower oil, lupine, pine needles, mud, charcoal, cocoa butter, and burnt almond paste were some of the everyday things that were tried before sunscreen became commercially available.
People concocted pastes and potions to keep their skin fair. One of their go-to ingredients, rice bran, absorbs ultraviolet rays so well that it's still used in some sunscreen formulations today.
While there is little literature on the way in which people protected themselves against the sun, evidence from paintings suggest that clothing covering the body, veils and large brim hats were used by ancient Greeks, and that umbrellas existed in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China and India.
To avoid sunburns, medieval physicians recommended wearing wide-brimmed hats and using parasols, when possible.
There are records of Egyptians, Ancient Greeks and Native Americans all using some form of sun protection. While the ancient cultures did not understand the science behind UV rays and sun damage, they did understand tanning and sunburns.
Indians enjoy the benefit of living in the tropics and our darker skin tone shields us from UV light. Our skin colour depends on a natural pigment called melanin—also known as the umbrella of the skin that protects us from UV damage.
The first record of sun protection began with the Egyptians, who used ingredients such as rice bran, jasmine, and lupine. Though they did not understand the harmful effects the sun has on the skin, they did understand the concept of tanning.
Humans also evolved a way to protect our skin from receiving too much radiation—melanin, a natural sunscreen. Our dark-skinned African ancestors produced so much melanin that they never had to worry about the sun.
Most people used scarves or clothing items to avoid direct sun exposure. Rice, crushed jasmine petals, olive oil, sunflower oil, lupine, pine needles, mud, charcoal, cocoa butter, and burnt almond paste were some of the everyday things that were tried before sunscreen became commercially available.
Native American tribes used sunflower oil and pine needles to protect their skin. In addition, these natural ingredients were used to treat bad sunburns. Vikings created a paste made out of burned almonds, lead, copper, and ash as sort of “eyeliner” to protect their eyes during battle.
From the Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans, ancient societies used plant extracts and other natural ingredients such as rice bran, jasmine, and olive oil to block the sun's rays.
Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide Are the Only Natural Sunscreen Active Ingredients. As we mentioned before, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only ingredients approved by the FDA to give your sunscreen a natural SPF. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are minerals, naturally found in the earth.
Health experts advise everyone, regardless of skin color, to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Although dark-skinned people won't get sunburned as quickly, they will still burn and are still susceptible to sun-induced damage—such as sun spots and wrinkles—and cancer .
The Egyptians were known to use rice bran extracts, jasmine and lupine extracts as a sunscreen because they realized these ingredients had the ability to absorb the sun's very strong rays. These chemicals are still used today in some of the modern sunscreen products.
But melanin isn't immune to all UV rays, so there's still some risk. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found black people were the least likely to get sunburned. White people, on the other hand, had the highest rates of sunburn.
Feel the Burn
Ultraviolet light comes from the Sun, but it can also bounce off of other surfaces like water, snow, and concrete. That means that even if you're under an umbrella, you can still get a sunburn. Ultraviolet light can also go through clouds, so you can get burned on an overcast day. No fair!
Also, don't forget to line your eyes! "Eyeliner originated with the Egyptians because black pigments reflected the sun's harsh rays," Woodward says. "So applying liner, especially along your lower lash line, will help ward off harmful rays and protect your eyes."
The earliest form of sunscreen was created by Franz Greiter in 1938 and then Benjamin Green in 1944 who used a mixture of cocoa butter and red veterinary petroleum to protect his skin from the sun. Shortly afterwards, Franz Greiter branded his formula Piz Buin while Mr Green marketed his as Coppertone Suntan Cream.
A repair system in our cells fixes DNA damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, however the detailed process behind this is not fully understood. An international research team has clarified the regulatory mechanism of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in recognizing and repairing UV-damaged DNA.
Abstract. The routine and often unavoidable exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation makes it one of the most significant environmental DNA-damaging agents to which humans are exposed. Sunlight, specifically UVB and UVA, triggers various types of DNA damage.
As a biological anthropologist who has studied primates' adaptations to the environment, I can tell you the short answer is “no,” and they didn't need to be. For eons, skin stood up to the sun.
Service members are strongly advised to practice sun safety as a part of heat illness prevention, including properly using broad-spectrum sunscreen, finding or constructing shade during work and rest, wearing protective clothing and military combat eye protection items, and avoiding tanning booths and sun lamps.
When you expose your unprotected skin to UV radiation from the sun, DNA damage starts in skin cells almost immediately. If you have a healthy version of this gene, called the UV radiation resistance-associated gene (UVRAG for short), it rushes in to repair as much of the damage as possible.
You can smear mud over exposed skin to help prevent sunburn. Mud acts as a physical-barrier type of sunscreen because it can prevent the sun's UV rays from penetrating the skin. Mud will stick to your skin. As it dries, it will crack and fall off, leaving behind a dirty residue that can also block UV rays.