The Coolibar Guarantee

Coolibar’s commitment to providing the highest quality sun protection possible is something we take very seriously. In the past few months, various news outlets posted articles questioning the effectiveness of sun protective clothing. In response, we decided to take a moment to clarify a few points about Coolibar sun protective clothing and our UPF 50+ guarantee. We invite and appreciate all feedback in the reply section below.

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Does the UPF protection wear out or wash out? How can you be sure?

Because we are so meticulous about testing, we can absolutely guarantee UPF 50+ protection from the first day our product is worn until the last day.

Coolibar UV fabric testing results significantly exceed all published American and Australian standards and are submitted to the following tests:

• UV transmittance tests performed according to the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Test Method 183 (AATCC 183).
• Fabrics tested both before and after life cycle exposure to laundering, sunlight, and chlorinated water according to American Society for Testing and Materials D 6544 (ASTM D 6544); (life cycle – 40 washings, exposure to 100 fading units of simulated sunlight).
• Garments labeled according to the guidelines specified in American Society of Testing and Materials D 6603 (ASTM D 6603).
• Each color of production fabric tested according to the Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS4399 for UV transmittance developed by the Australian Radiation Protection Agency And Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)

Do you need to add additional sun protection to the product such as Sun Guard or wear sunscreen under Coolibar sunwear?

At Coolibar, we carefully develop technical fabrics that are then thoroughly tested at independent labs to ensure each product meets or exceeds our UPF 50+ standard. This UPF 50+ rating is the highest rating available to clothing and blocks more than 98% of harmful UVA and UVB rays. There is no need to add UV detergent to the clothing. Sunscreen is only required on areas of skin not covered by Coolibar clothing.

Do all sun protective clothing brands offer the same sun protection?

Other companies may claim their products offer UV protective qualities, but very few make the investment required to ensure lasting performance. Our experience has shown that a single UV fabric test does not accurately reflect the consistency of UVA & UVB blocking levels across similar fabrics or colors. Each year, we test over 600 samples of our production fabrics, at each stage of manufacturing, so that we can match the UV transmittance level of each Coolibar garment to exact test results. We use independent labs to test every color and every dye lot for each fabric used so that we can confidently guarantee the consistent level of UV protection throughout the life of each garment. We know of no other apparel company that can make the same claim and back it up with independent lab test results.