This morning, I find myself with a sunburn that makes me want to die covering most of my back, and the thought came to me, that getting sunburnt is something id never considered about living in the past. And, now I'm curious. What kinds of things people in the past have used for sunscreen? This isnt specific to one people or time period. If you have any knowledge on this subject feel free to share it
Broadly, there is significant evidence of ochre (which is iron oxide, red in color) used as a paste to protect skin. The health effects are known extensively to us now [1] but its use on the skin is iterated in multiple instances. The Himba people of Namibia are still documented as doing this[2]. Additionally, the British Medical Journal (1969) has this speaking about the Beothuk people on Newfoundland excerpt from the late 1700s[3]:
"they smeared their bodies and clothing with red ochre, possibly for religious reasons, more probably to protect themselves from mosquitoes or muskatoos, as they were called two hundred years ago."
The practice likely stems from not a full understanding of the Suns UV rays damaging skin but probably more of a practice of using a paste to protect skin to keep it from hurting much like Elephants use mud to protect their thick but sensitive skin that eventually became tied to a sacred ritual over time.
There is substantial evidence of red ochre use through Neolithic Europe in a ceremonial function [4], so it's possible that this also was a practice that became a ritual over time with Ochre being seen as a widely available and highly valuable substance. It's not really specifically known why it was used in burials, but it's there.
Additionally, red ochre was used as the hue of choice for Minoans depicting men in physical (or laborious) roles as red. I specified physical/labor roles because there is a depiction of a high status male that is nowhere near as dark as most men are depicted. It's not known if this is a stylistic choice or it's its a practical depiction of people in a physical labor role being outdoors and using ochre to protect themselves.
But, also, thanks to Egyptian documentation of almost everything in their daily lives through papyrus scrolls, we know that they used a combination of lupine, rice bran, and jasmine to form a paste to prevent skin damage. The Greeks used a combination of "just block it with a big hat and light clothes" and olive oil [5]
1 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0136090
2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-04663-0
3 https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/1/5635/48.full.pdf
5 https://projectarchaeology.org/2020/04/17/ancient-skin-and-haircare/
As an aside, I personally prefer the Greek method. I would rather not hinge my skins protection on an ointment or cream that must be reapplied frequently. The best sunscreen is shade.