Independant laboratory tests have shown that a typical cotton t-shirt provides only 50% protection from harmful UVB rays through to your skin when dry, and only 30% protection when it is wet! A baseball cap is actually worse protection than the t-shirt.

Don’t be deceived by misleading claims. A Sun Protection factor (SPF) is simply a measure of the amount of time that it takes for you to sunburn. For example, an SPF of 10 means that if you would normally burn in 20 minutes, you would then have ten times that amount of time before you would start to burn. The SPF was developed for sunscreen where it fades or is sweated away, and therefore has to be re-applied. Using an SPF rating for apparel doesn’t tell the whole story, because apparel doesn’t wear off or fade away. When you are choosing sun protectant clothing, you need to get the most protection from the UVB rays that you can get!!

You can’t! Many cotton and all knit fabrics stretch and, therefore, open large enough holes for ultraviolet to penetrate. Many fabrics also lose much of their UV blocking abilities when they are wet, after washing, when exposed to ultraviolet or visible light or when they are abraided or well worn.

Currently there are a number of agencies which are involved in the regulation of the UV/sun protective fabrics. You can be assured a product is really going to do the job of blocking it claims if the fabric has performed up to the new standards and meets a minimum 90% protection level.

It was determined that a sun protective fabric must disclose the UV performance of the fabric both new and used (to 2 years) of normal wear and tear. It must also be documented that it is not irritating or sensitizing to the skin and must not be able to be stretched. The percentage of UVB blocking abilities of the fabric should be in the 95% to 99% range, even after two years of use.

The standards that have been required are a full photospectrometer UVA and UVB transmittance (nanometer by nanometer) testing in new, dry and wet configurations; accelerated by UV exposure testing for the equivalent of two years in Florida humidity and temperature, 40 launderings, concentrated abrasion testing up to 50% (wearing off half the fabric), and skin irritation testing to be sure even the most sensitive skin has no problem with any component of the fabric.

Yes, they are the only company to date (1997) to meet these standards and become a medically approved device and recommended by the Cancer Society.

Yes, Companies such as L.L.Bean, Reebok, Ping, Disney, and Sportif USA®, are all producing garments made from Solarweave®. We are sure many more will be using this product very soon... including You!

Solarweave® and Solarknit® are registered brand names of the Solar Protective Factory Inc.