In 1935, tanned skin was the look du jour and paid vacation time was about to hit France, inciting the beach leisure craze. That year, L’Oréal created the first tanning oil, Ambre Solaire, and hosted beach events to promote the product. As attitudes about sun bathing changed, so did L’Oréal’s products–thecompany launched Biotherm’s anti-wrinkle sun cream in 1970. In 1982, L’Oréal patented UVA filter Mexoryl SX and in 1999, they launched photostable sunscreens to protect against both UVA and UVB light with the ingredient Mexoryl XL.
A 1937 advertisement boasting “I get dark five times faster without burning with Ambre Solaire.”
