Do all clothes protect against UV rays?

Very often, we only use sun cream to protect ourselves from the sun ☀️. But apart from the fact that it can lose its effectiveness through perspiration or water, we also tend to apply far less sun cream than the recommended amount and often forget to apply it every two hours. A growing number of people are also aware of the effects of sunscreen on our environment 💚, particularly on our oceans 🌊 . Indeed, the chemicals contained in them have a negative impact on the ecology of coral reefs. That's why many people are increasingly turning to anti-UV clothing for swimming.

According to scientists, all clothing offers a minimum level of UV protection. It's important to know that existing ready-to-wear fabrics offer different levels of sun protection. For example, a linen shirt or an ordinary light cotton t-shirt generally only offers a UPF 5 rating, which means that 20% of UV rays can reach the skin. So you might think you're protected, but you're not. You could end up burning, more or less quickly depending on your phototype.

To protect yourself from the sun with clothes, complete coverage offers the most protection. However, as soon as the weather is fine, it's a good idea to dress lightly and in finer fabrics. Ready-to-wear fabrics will therefore often have a low level of sun protection.

Only anti-UV clothing can guarantee effective protection from the sun ☀️, while offering a certain degree of comfort thanks to its lightness.

 

These are officially tested and incorporate functional designs (such as colour, fabric weight and weave construction) that offer excellent sun protection. With the maximum UPF 50+ certification , 98% of UVA and UVB rays are blocked by the fabric. In addition to the protection factor, it is also essential to choose clothing that is lightweight, comfortable and offers excellent body coverage in hot, sunny conditions. Long-sleeved tops with collars (some of which are designed to protect your hands) are the most effective sun protection. Trousers are recommended for full lower body coverage. Umbrellas ☂️ are also a good way of protecting yourself from the sun for longer periods. An anti-UV sunshade uses fabric offering UPF 50+ sun protection. They come in a wide variety of sizes and formats, so you can protect the head, neck and shoulders of one or two people at the same time. Some are lightweight and easy to carry. So not only is it a good addition to your hat 👒 and sunglasses 🕶️ , it's also a good investment, given how long it lasts.

For long sun exposure and for sensitive skin, it is therefore recommended to use UPF50+ certified anti-UV clothing, which provides a light, breathable fabric with a high level of sun protection.

Below is an example of a test carried out with ultraviolet rays capable of causing burns after around 10 minutes.

When a cotton t-shirt with UPF 5 gets wet, the protection level decreases to about UPF 3, its level of protection drops to around UPF 3, exposing us to UV rays that we are unaware of (33% of UV rays are not filtered). So we can get sunburnt in less than 30 minutes.

To make up for this shortcoming, at KER SUN we offer UPF 50+ certified anti-UV clothing to guarantee you optimum protection for all your activities.

See our selection of anti-UV clothing

How to know a garment's level of UV Protection?

The first step to finding out the level of UV protection of a garment is to look at its labelling. There are several standards, the most widely used of which is the UPF standard (which stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor). This defines the proportion of ultraviolet rays blocked by a fabric. For example, UPF 25 means that the fabric allows 1/25 of the rays to pass through.

UPF	Protection level	% UV rays blocked
UPF 15 – 24	Good	93.3 – 95.9
UPF 25 – 39	Very good	96.0 – 97.4
UPF 40 – 50+	Excellent	97.5– 98+

NB: Between UPF 0 and UPF 15: the garment cannot be considered to provide adequate UV protection.

What's more, well-designed UV protection garments are made from technical fabrics to suit their intended use. If it's a casual summer or travel garment, it probably has a fabric designed to be comfortable, soft, cool and lightweight. If it's for swimming, the fabric dries quickly and is resistant to chlorine and salt. If it's for sports, the fabric is lightweight, highly breathable and moisture-wicking to keep you dry.

However, fabric is not the only criterion for making a good anti-UV garment. The style and design of the garment are also important. A classic short-sleeved shirt will protect you much less well than a long-sleeved shirt with sleeves and a collar that can be turned up.