夹层玻璃是1903年由法国化学家爱德华·班尼迪克特斯 (Edouard Benedictus) 所发明的。

爱德华·班尼迪克特斯在做实验时，无意地在玻璃瓶内铺上了一层硝化纤维素 (Cellulose nitrate)，之后发现玻璃瓶跌在地上时裂而不破。他想将有塑胶夹层的玻璃应用在汽车的挡风玻璃上，以减少汽车意外所造成的伤亡。最初汽车生产商家对他的发明不太感到兴趣，最先使用这种发明的反而是第一次世界大战时所生产的杀毒面具。

1936年，改良为使用聚乙烯醇缩丁醛 (Polyvinyl butyral，PVB) 作为夹层后，夹层玻璃才在汽车上大行其道，之后更成为许多国家政府强制的汽车安全标准之一。

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by an interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), between its two or more layers of glass. The interlayer keeps the layers of glass bonded even when broken, and its high strength prevents the glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces. This produces a characteristic "spider web" cracking pattern when the impact is not enough to completely pierce the glass. In the case of the EVA, the thermoset EVA, offers a complete bounding (cross-linking) with the material whether it is glass, polycarbonate, P.E.T. or other types products.