A simple sun protective garment has surprisingly mobilized a hundred billion outdoor market.

Market research forecasts that by 2026, the market size of China's sun protective clothing will reach 95.8 billion yuan, which is essentially a solid hundred billion market.

Of course, consumers are also very supportive. From 2016 to 2021, in just five years, the market size of the sun protection market soared from 15 billion to 74.8 billion.

Data shows that Banana's annual income is 2.4 billion, aiming to sprint for the first outdoor stock, and a sun protective garment from Arc'teryx starts at 2,000 yuan.

Even Bosideng, which sells down jackets, wants to share a "sun protection" soup, and has started selling sun protective clothing on its official website, with a men's sun protective garment priced at 1,499 yuan.

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Little did they know that the sun protective garments that cost hundreds or even thousands of yuan have a cost of less than 100 yuan.

As the saying goes, "one white covers three uglinesses," sun protection is a necessary means when going out in summer.

Now, when you go out, the streets are full of "masked heroes," fearing a sneak attack from a ray of light.

On the street, out of 10 women, 9 have a "facekini" on their faces, sun protective sleeves on their arms, and sun protective scarves around their necks.This is not enough; add a pair of large sunglasses, and the leading ladies are all about "fully armed, never exposed to light."

These people wearing short sleeves and shorts seem to be from "another planet," and some jokingly call them "that ghost."

It's not just on the streets, even at the beach for sunbathing, at a glance, it's not sunbathing at all, it's clearly a battle with the sunlight, as if the skin can't be exposed to a bit of light.

Nowadays, sun protection is no longer the exclusive domain of women friends, even men who are not particular about details have joined the ranks of sun protection, lightly with a sun-protective shirt or a sun-protective sleeve, heavily "armed" into a super sun-protective warrior.

Of course, children's sun protection must also be started, going to and from school, they should wear sun-protective clothes and wear sun-protective hats.

As long as "ultraviolet rays," the common enemy of mankind, are not dead, sun protection is indispensable, men, women, old and young all join the battle, "if you don't protect from the sun in summer, you'll turn ten shades darker in the blink of an eye."

On a social platform, a sun protection expert showed off his dozens of sun protection "weapons."

You never know, in the next second, what kind of "mask" he will appear on the street with, maybe it's the "Squidward" style, or it might be the "exotic style."

Some netizens jokingly say that those who know understand that this is life in China, those who don't know might think it's a "beekeeper" from some country in the Middle East.

I don't know if it's a sun-protective shirt that blocks beauty and handsomeness, or if it's the high-end marketing behind the merchants that's at work?In recent years, there have been frequent news reports online about "heatstroke disease," as well as the effects of sunlight that can darken and age the skin, and even lead to skin cancer. A well-known case involves a bus driver who, due to the constant exposure of one side of his face to sunlight, has noticeably aged that side more than the other.

The love for beauty has always been a universal human sentiment, and the concept that "a fair complexion can cover many flaws" is deeply ingrained, leading people to proclaim loudly: "Raising children may not prevent aging, but sun protection can."

Since the creation of the first sunscreen in 1928, sun protection products have become the frontrunners in the beauty and skincare industry. From being a seasonal category to an essential year-round practice for beauty enthusiasts, it goes without saying that the market size and profit margins have increased exponentially.

As consumer demand continues to upgrade, the supply also "advances," and with the help of the internet, sun protective clothing with a "technological" edge has emerged in abundance. On a certain social platform, there are as many as 1.92 million posts related to "sun protective clothing," far exceeding the 1.33 million posts about sunscreens, simply because people understand that no matter how expensive the sunscreen, it is not as effective as covering up well.

Where there is demand, there is trade, which has given rise to a significant business opportunity. According to statistics, by 2021, the market size of China's sun protective clothing industry had reached 45.9 billion yuan, increasing to 74.2 billion yuan by 2023, and is expected to reach 95.8 billion yuan in two years.Faced with such a large cake, various players are rushing to join the game.

The "pioneer of sun protection" Jiaxia has been in the sun protection market for many years, with an annual income of 2.4 billion, aiming to be the first outdoor stock.

Decathlon and Li-Ning mainly focus on sportswear, seeing the profitability of sun protection, they have successively entered the sun protection market.

Recently, even Bosideng, which sells down jackets, has not been idle, and has also listed sun protection clothing on its official website.

This is not all, Uniqlo, which is deeply involved in fashion, and Jiaonai, which sells underwear, are also following suit into the sun protection market, so some netizens tease:

"Anyone who sells clothes is now selling sun protection clothing."

As a result, the sun protection market has become very lively, with various sun protection concepts emerging one after another, such as ice silk with a cooling sensation, hyaluronic acid that protects and moisturizes, original yarn, and "TiO2 sun protection factor".

These concepts with a "technology" color have become "additives" for sun protection clothing, making people feel that they are wearing "high-tech" clothing.

After several such operations, a thin sun protection clothing has finally been sold at a "sky-high price". Open any shopping software at will, and the price of sun protection clothing is one after another.

On Taobao and JD.com, a random search for "sun protection clothing" shows prices ranging from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan, but filtering for 500-1000 yuan, there are 24,000 products.Although Banana Umbrella is known as the "pioneer of sun protection," it is ultimately a newcomer in the fashion industry, hence the price of its sun protective clothing typically ranges around 500 yuan.

In contrast, the established brand Bosideng is quite bold and generous, positioning its sun protective clothing at a "thousand" level, with a men's sun protective shirt priced at 1499 yuan.

At the same time, HOII's hooded sun protective clothing also soars to a price of 1948 yuan, not to mention top outdoor brands like Arc'teryx, whose sun protective clothing starts at a price of 2000 yuan.

Many consumers, faced with the exorbitant prices of sun protective clothing, exclaim, "Can't afford the love!"

However, shrewd merchants, in their promotional efforts, have emphasized to consumers the concept of ultraviolet protection factor, commonly known as UPF, leading to advertisements with slogans like "UPF2000."

Theoretically, the higher the UPF value, the stronger the ability to block ultraviolet rays, but in reality, UPF50+ is already capable of blocking 98% of ultraviolet radiation.

As merchants exaggerate the UPF values, some consumers who are not well-informed believe that the higher the UPF, the higher the technological content and the higher the price.

But how much "real substance" lies behind these high prices?

In 2022, the Beijing Consumer Association tested a batch of sun protective clothing, and the results were shocking. Staff found that some sun protective clothing had the lowest UPF of only 3, which is not even as effective as a cotton T-shirt.

A search for "sun protective clothing" patents on Tianyan revealed 158 entries, of which 87 were "design" patents, indicating that outstanding sun protection functionality is not the primary focus.If consumers consider from the perspective of sun protection functionality, whether the "exorbitantly priced" sun protective clothing can justify its cost is inevitably questionable.

Some fabric suppliers have also stated: from an industry pricing standpoint, the price for mid-to-high-end nylon is around 30 to 40 yuan per meter, and the fabric required for making a piece of clothing is approximately one meter.

Even with the addition of certain processes, such as ultraviolet resistance, dyeing, and printing, the cost could increase by about 10 yuan more. Thus, the wholesale price for a mid-to-high-end sun protective garment would be around 60 yuan.

With the downgrading of consumption, an increasing number of consumers no longer view high-priced sun protective clothing as "black technology" but as a tangible form of an "intelligence tax."

In reality, the functionality and practicality of sun protective clothing have evolved beyond being just a piece of clothing.

But do our bodies truly require excessive sun protection?

As the saying goes: "Too much is as bad as too little," it is undeniable that paying attention to sun protection during the scorching summer sun is justified, but excessive sun protection is counterproductive.

Scientific data indicate that excessive sun protection can lead to a deficiency in vitamin D, and a lack of vitamin D can result in a weakened immune system and various health issues such as osteoporosis.

In addition, excessive sun protection can also lead to a reduction in the secretion of melatonin, thereby affecting sleep quality.

In fact, sunlight is not as terrifying as it seems; moderate sun exposure is actually beneficial to health. Avoid paying the "intelligence tax" just to cater to the aesthetics of "fair, youthful, and thin," or to appear younger.In our childhood, we chased after the sunlight, reveling in the gifts of the summer sun.

But at some point, we began to change our tune when it came to "sunlight," even finding it hard to enjoy the sun carefree, you ask?

When the sun is just right and the breeze is not too dry, soak up more of the sun, after all, every summer is a limited edition.