The Journal of Photochemistry was established in 1972 under founding editor-in-chief Richard P. Wayne. Originally published quarterly, by 1987 frequency had increased to monthly.
In 1986, the 38th Council of the American Society for Photobiology (ASP) established a committee to investigate the proposal that the European Society for Photobiology (ESP) share the operation of the ASP official journal, Photochemistry and Photobiology. In 1987, financial and contractual problems prevented agreement and, instead, ESP contracted with Elsevier, leading to the restructuring of the Journal of Photochemistry into two separate journals: the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, continuing under Richard P. Wayne and covering photochemistry and the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology under founding editor Giulio Jori, covering photobiology.
The Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews was first published in 2000 with Akira Fujishima as founding editor-in-chief. When the journal was first established, it aimed to increase from two issues a year to four, an objective achieved and maintained since 2003.