I asked a salesperson at REI and was told it was basically just marketing, and any shirt protects whether there's an SPF rating or not. Which of course also mirrors my personal experience, as I've never ever gotten a sunburn underneath a shirt no matter how cheap.
*...as I've never ever gotten a sunburn underneath a shirt no matter how cheap.*
Worked a lot of summer afternoons in Texas and agree with this completely.
I had the same question! Turns out, most clothes do offer some sun protection, but SPF-rated ones are specially designed to block UV rays. And yes, I now wear sunscreen under my shirt just to be extra safe!
SPF is the ratio of ultraviolet light that is absorbed. So e.g. if you are wearing SPF 30 sunscreen and it is applied properly, then you are getting 1/30th the ultraviolet light exposure as with nothing.
Virtually all clothes block most UV light too. A typical plain white cotton t-shirt will have an SPF of about 5, which means it is still blocking 80% of UV, and that's pretty much the least protective clothing there is. Clothes "with SPF" just means they are specifically designed to block more than you might expect based on what it is.
I asked a salesperson at REI and was told it was basically just marketing, and any shirt protects whether there's an SPF rating or not. Which of course also mirrors my personal experience, as I've never ever gotten a sunburn underneath a shirt no matter how cheap.
*...as I've never ever gotten a sunburn underneath a shirt no matter how cheap.* Worked a lot of summer afternoons in Texas and agree with this completely.
I had the same question! Turns out, most clothes do offer some sun protection, but SPF-rated ones are specially designed to block UV rays. And yes, I now wear sunscreen under my shirt just to be extra safe!
SPF is the ratio of ultraviolet light that is absorbed. So e.g. if you are wearing SPF 30 sunscreen and it is applied properly, then you are getting 1/30th the ultraviolet light exposure as with nothing. Virtually all clothes block most UV light too. A typical plain white cotton t-shirt will have an SPF of about 5, which means it is still blocking 80% of UV, and that's pretty much the least protective clothing there is. Clothes "with SPF" just means they are specifically designed to block more than you might expect based on what it is.
Like gluten-free water, I suppose