The South African sun taught us the importance of protecting yourself against the sun's harmful UV rays while enjoying time outdoors. We aim to share our sun protection expertise with you by offering you a wide range of stylish, fashionable, premium quality sun hats, many of them with the highest grade of sun protection: UPF50+.

 

UV Certification & Endorsement

Samples of our sun protective hats are tested in a Photobiology Laboratory at the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) and meet the requirements of both the Australian and South African test methods on the Optometrics SPF 290 Analyser.

Sun hats with a UPF test certificate are accepted by dermatologists as well as the Cancer Association in both Australia (Cancer Council) and South Africa (CANSA - Cancer Association of South Africa), where the UV rays are shown to be some of the highest in the world. 

UPF50+ Rated UV Protection

 

A sun hat is a physical barrier between you and the sun, unlike SPF sunscreen that needs to be reapplied every couple of hours.

Where the words “UPF50+ Certified UV Protection” are used on our websites, and the UPF50+ swing tag is attached to the item when purchasing one of our hats, it means that those products have been tested and verified in a laboratory under strict standards to achieve their UPF50+ rating and offer your skin maximum sun protection.

The UPF50+ rating means that the hat will block out 97 - 98% of the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays and is considered to offer “Excellent” sun protection.

UVA protection ensures the deeper layers of your skin are protected from early aging and wrinkles.

UVB protection stops your skin from burning, and as we all know sunburn may cause permanent damage over time.

 

How Materials Affect UV Protection

The “holes” in the fabric created by the weave of the hat will make a difference depending on whether the fabric absorbs or scatters the UV rays. It is difficult to tell how protective clothing is by looking at it or holding it up to the light, because the human eye responds to Visible Radiation, and not to UVR (Ultraviolet Radiation).

The transmission of light through fabrics in the visible range is often higher than in the UVR range. Laboratory UPF testing simulates a worst-case situation, where the UVR is incident at right angles to the fabric and transmission is therefore maximal.

Therefore, when you see a UPF50+ swing tag or label on our products, you can be confident about the listed level of protection. 

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Learn more about why UPF50+ sun hats are so important, and how to Live a SunSmart lifestyle.