The truth is no, unfortunately not all fabrics protect us from the sun.
There are two essential criteria for a fabric to protect you from UVA and UVB which are harmful to the skin:
- So that no UV rays pass through a garment, the fabric must be as waterproof as possible in order to block at least more than 90% of UVA and UVB rays which are harmful to the skin.
- For best results against UV rays, a chemical product is applied to the fabric, namely the constituents of sunscreen.
Certain fabrics, such as linen, should be avoided in the sun since the light passes between the stitches.
KRABĒO had the desire to apply no chemical filters to the skin and favored a fabric designed for tightly woven sun protection in the manufacturing process for greater longevity and to remain the most eco-responsible and healthy in its garment design.
Is all clothing that protects against UV rays?
Not necessarily since many only protect the minimum against UV rays. Any clothing that covers the skin does not adequately protect the skin from UV rays. If we take a white cotton sweater, the protection against UV rays will be minimal. It is certain that in this case, a burn will occur since at least 20% of UV rays are not filtered by this sweater.
To put you in more context, here are images that show you what UV rays can cause in burns after 10 minutes.
Exposed skin
Sunburn and burn in 10 minutes
Burn in 50 minutes
UPF 5: White cotton T-shirt and in less time this one is wet, since once soaked, the stitches expand and you are left with only a simple UPF 4 and less.
Protection over 8 hours
UPF 50+: UV protective clothing
When wet, the level of protection drops to around UPF 3, exposing us to UV rays that we are unaware of (33% of UV is not filtered). So we can get a sunburn in less than 30 minutes.
In order to overcome this shortcoming, Krabéo offers anti-UV clothing for maximum protection during all your outdoor activities.
See our collection of UPF50+ swimwear
WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA OF CLOTHING FOR MAXIMUM PROTECTION AGAINST UV RAYS?
What you need to know is that the manufacturing fabric must be certified and tested against UV. The manufacture of the fabric must be done with maximum sun protection.
- The building: the tighter the threads and the denser the construction, the higher the UV protection. The counterpart is that the fabric is less breathable and therefore warmer.
- The composition of the wires: certain materials such as polyester absorb UV rays better than other materials such as linen or cotton
- The weight : The heavier and thicker a fabric, the more UV protection it provides, even though you may be warmer.
- The colour : By absorbing them rather than letting them in, dark or bright colors block UV rays from reaching your skin. This is why these colors offer better protection than lighter shades.
- The presence or absence of additives: Some fabrics have additives that reduce the penetration of UV rays.
Wearing a wet, stretched or aged fabric reduces its protection against UV rays.
Clothing such as jeans (thick clothing) protects against UV rays, on the other hand too hot and less suitable for certain sports compared to light clothing but not designed for sun protection.
It is strongly advised to wear clothes designed against the harmful rays of the sun which offer you this optimal protection with appropriate comfort and are eco-responsible.See our selection of anti-UV clothing
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS THE ANTI-UV PROTECTION LEVEL OF YOUR CLOTHES?
There is a meaningful way to find out. On the label of some garments you can see the level of protection (not always indicated). There are several standards. The most used is the UPF (UV Protection Factor). This standard determines the level of UV rays in the fabric, for example, UPF 25 indicates that 1/25 of the UV rays pass through the fabric.
|
UPF |
Category of protection |
% of UV blocked |
|
UPF 15 244 |
Good |
93.3 95.99 |
|
UPF 25 399 |
Very good |
96.0 97.44 |
|
UPF 40 50++ |
excellent |
97.5 98++ |
NB: Between UPF 0 and UPF 15: the garment cannot be considered to provide adequate UV protection.
UV protective clothing fabrics are suitable for your needs, whether for outdoor outings or on the go. What is important is that they are designed to keep you comfortable while protecting you.
Fabrics for water sports clothing are suitable to dry quickly and to be resistant to chlorine and salt. It is therefore light and lets the skin breathe in addition to removing moisture.
It is obvious that it is good to have a garment made of UV resistant fabrics, this is not the only important element, its style and design are just as important. The garment is made of long sleeves to allow better sun protection.
KRABĒO, with its collection of clothing against UV rays, stands out for the quality of the manufacturing fabrics as well as the style and design for your outdoor outings!
