How did I get sunburnt through my clothes? 

Very few people are aware of the fact that not all clothing protects the same from the sun.

People often notice when they have been outside during a particularly sunny day that they have been sunburnt through an item of clothing.

The important thing to be aware of is that different fabrics provide different levels of sun protection. A regular t-shirt may only offer a UPF rating of 5. UPF stands for ultraviolet protection factor and a rating of 5 indicates that 20% of UV rays are able to penetrate the garments fabric. UPF 5 is equivalent to SPF 5 for sunscreen. Not many people would be satisfied with that level of sun protection from their sunscreen.

Unless you get a fabric formally tested, you will not know for sure what level of sun protection you are getting. Factors that influence the sun protective rating of fabrics include: the colour, fabric weight, weave construction and whether or not the fabric is wet or dry.

The maximum UPF rating achievable in the World is UPF50+ which means that at least 98% of UV rays are blocked by the fabric. The Australian Government introduced the UPF rating system in the 1990s and it has been adopted globally since.

Sun protective clothing is a type of clothing which incorporates functional designs to give additional coverage from the sun including oversize collars, long sleeves and thumb holes. Sun protection clothing also offers excellent sun protection which means a UPF rating of at least 40.

Solbari Sun Protection offers a range of products which help prevent sunburn, premature skin ageing, skin cancer and melanoma. Solbari’s range includes UPF 50+ sun protective clothing, sun hats, UV arm sleeves and sun protective driving gloves. All of Solbari’s sun protective fabrics have been independently tested and rated UPF 50+ by the Australian Government. Solbari has loyal customers in over 70 countries.