SunBody Hats Block the Bad Rays 

That's UV light, that is.  An independent laboratory tested our hats and found they blocked 99 - 100 % of UV-A and UV-B light.   

ALL OF SunBody Hats' palms (both Mexican and Guatemalan) have been given a rating of UPF 50+.

This rating applies to both Guatemalan and Mexican palm-leaf hats. 

What Is UPF?

The Ultraviolet Protection Factor (or UPF) rating system measures the UV protection provided by textiles, in our case palm leaf hats. It is very similar to the SPF rating system used for sunscreens. UPF 50+ is the maximum Ultraviolet Protection Factor accorded to sun protection clothing by Australian, New Zealand and US Government rating agencies. The UPF rating indicates how much Ultraviolet Radiation is absorbed by the fabric. For example a fabric with a UPF Rating of 50 only allows 1/50th of the hazardous ultraviolet radiation falling on the surface of the fabric to pass through it - or expressed another way, the fabric blocks 98% of the sun's harmful UV Rays. This means that, where it is protected by the fabric, the fabric will reduce your skin's exposure to ultraviolet radiation by fifty times.

UV Rays and You:

Ultraviolet Rays (UV) travel the 93 million miles from the sun to the earth in just 8 minutes! The most dangerous type, UV-C, is stopped by stratospheric ozone, but UV-A and UV-B reach the earth - and your skin.

  • UV-A and -B travel easily through clouds and haze and reflect off water, sand and snow. Surprisingly, these rays even reach far below the surface of water.
  • UV-A penetrates deep into the body and becomes the culprit behind wrinkling and "leathering" when it hits your skin. UV-A can also damage cells leading to skin cancer.
  • UV-B is considered to be the main cause of skin cancer. UV-B is more potent than UV-A and is what causes sunburns.
  • UV cannot be seen or felt directly. It does not produce heat. Instead, UV rays effects are felt in the long run by the damage UV-A and UV-B does by penetrating and changing the structure of skin cells. 

Test Standards

SunBody Hats uses independent laboratories for our sun protective tests. The tests measure transmittance across both the UVA and UVB spectrum. The palm leaf ratings are based on the readings from the CROWN and the BRIM. The two results are NOT averaged together; rather they both score equally high. Here are details of the specific test standards.

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Test Method 183 specifies the protocol for conducting a UV transmittance test; American Society for Testing and Materials D 6603 provides guidelines for labeling sun protective clothing.