This summer's hottest accessory: Sun protection

NEW YORK — Frances Ling, a 29-year-old in Los Angeles, has a summer driving uniform.

First, she buttons a long-sleeve cape with a hood, one that her boyfriend jokes makes her look like "a superhero." Next is a lightweight face mask that covers every inch of skin below her nose. Finally, she pulls on grippy gloves with long sleeves attached that go past her elbows and almost reach her shoulders.

"Now that I'm in my late 20s, I'm a lot more aware about sun protection," Ling told CNN. "And I hate putting on sunscreen."

Ling bought her sunwear from China, part of a region that has outpaced the West in all things skincare. She's part of a growing market of American consumers who are wearing UPF clothing – which stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor – as summers get hotter and longevity has taken the forefront in beauty and fashion.

While SPF is for sunscreen, UPF measures how much ultraviolet radiation penetrates fabric. For example, a rating of UPF 50+ is said to block at least 90% of UV rays.

Sun-protective clothing has long had an audience with swimmers, surfers and young children donning the trusty rash guard, as well as hikers and athletes. Workers who spend hours outdoors, such as construction and farm workers, also commonly wear UPF clothing.

But a new customer base is emerging: fashion-forward consumers in the U.S. with an eye on their health. Some are looking up to celebrities: Anne Hathaway seems to have solidified its new glamorous tone while wearing a full-body swimsuit on vacation. Kendall Jenner also sported her own UPF clothing and accessories during her Euro summer vacation.

Fashion forecasting firm WGSN found that 34% of full-price UPF items were out of stock in 2026, up 11.4 percentage points from 2025. In comparison, the sell-out rate for overall clothes this year was 25%.

Brands in the United States are catching on to the trend. UV apparel at U.S. activewear brands grew 12% YoY in May, according to retail intelligence firm EDITED. And at pricey activewear brands such as Athleta, 45% of its new May inventory featured sun protection.

"People used to just fry their skin, and it was about getting a tan," Kelly Cassaccio, co-founder of sun-protective clothing brand Tied Sunwear, told CNN. "Whole-body wellness has really changed, and now people are looking actively for UPF clothing."

UPF goes mainstream

It's hard to nail down the exact market size for UPF clothing. That's because it's hard to define what UPF clothing truly is – the thick fabric of denim, for example, protects from the sun's rays, even if that's not the intent.

"Partially, it's a market that's… growing quicker than people can define it," Louise Deglise-Favre, lead apparel analyst at GlobalData, told CNN.

Climate change is also going to become a driver of sartorial choices, fashion forecasting firm WGSN told CNN over email.

"Sun protection is going to become much more of an everyday clothing consideration, rather than something we only think about on holiday or for specialist outdoor activities," Nick Paget, senior menswear strategist at WGSN, wrote.

The market is still concentrated right now, with U.S. consumers mainly seeing sun-protective clothing in trendy athleisure – think Lululemon, REI and Nike.

Uniqlo leads the charge in the United States. The Japanese brand has been offering clothes with UV protection since 2004, and its UV protection essentials take a prominent place in its stores every summer.

Fashion forecasting firm Trendalytics found that Google searches for "UV shirt" jumped 26% and 116% in TikTok views year over year. Wide-brim hats had a 25% year over year jump in TikTok views and a 260% surge in TikTok posts.

Uniqlo's UPF customer base in the U.S. ranges from commuters, who might have long walks or drives to the office, to parents who sit outside for their kids' hot soccer games.

"In Asia, UV protection is definitely more advanced," Nicolas Cessot, head of North America marketing for Uniqlo, told CNN. "But we see consumer awareness in the U.S. around UV exposure. Long term, skin health continues to grow as an overall market."

But while UPF ratings must be tested and certified, "UV protectant" can sometimes be a broad marketing term.

As buzzwords are marketed to consumers, Deglise-Favre said that "consumers should always be wary of the claims that products are making."

UPF for the fashion forward

While some customers gravitate toward the practicality of a rash guard or visor, some skincare aficionados who cannot get behind the utilitarian look. Small, boutique brands have popped up in recent years with alternatives, usually marketed toward women.

"The options were just like not something that spoke to me from an aesthetic or a quality standpoint," Mia Zee, the co-founder of UPF clothing company Claudent, told CNN. "They were just cheap rash guards you get on Amazon."

The company, which was founded in 2023, includes a $405 caftan among its UPF 50+ offerings.

Sevy, which launched three months ago, sells colorful bandanas to protect the wearer's neck or head. Accessories like these, founder Mary Mullen told CNN, show that sun protection will "function quietly in the background" of fashion.

In the meantime, customers like 31-year-old Kheira Bettir will continue to don their full ensembles. She began wearing UPF clothing after seeing patients come in with skin issues, where she works as a physician's associate. For her, that includes gloves that cover her hands and a sun visor for long drives or taking her son to the beach.

"I love skincare because I'm truly terrified of the sun," Bettir said, who added she got her inspiration to take the extra mile to protect her skin from the Korean community in Orange County.

"A lot of them always had their umbrellas, their visors, their gloves. And now it's become so much more popular here."

Related topics