It was in 1909 that the Russian chemist Prileschajew discovered that olefins react with perbenzoic acid to form an epoxy functional group.

In the 1940s, Swiss chemist Pierre Castan and American chemist Sylvan Greenlee simultaneously claimed authorship of a thermosetting plastic material composed of a resin and a hardener.

Industrial production began in the 1950s to meet the growing demand for high-performance coatings.

Since 1960, more than fifty distinct chemical structures have been developed, with variations in molecular weight, isomerism, purity, and more.

With around a hundred curing agents, modifiers, diluents, and organic or inorganic fillers, an almost infinite variety of formulations can be prepared.

Epoxies are considered a major technological breakthrough compared to phenolic resins and polyesters.