The price of "black technology" is getting higher and higher, and the price is advancing from one hundred yuan to one thousand yuan
How can I buy a good sunscreen?
Since the beginning of summer this year, there have been continuous high temperatures in many places in our country, and the scorching summer has also made men who usually do not like sunscreen to buy a set of sunscreen clothing for protection.
A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned that under the endorsement of "black technology", the price of sunscreen clothing is also getting higher and higher, from a hundred yuan to a thousand yuan.
More and more "black technology" has also made consumers anxious about sun protection clothing - how to buy a good sun protection clothing?
This summer's new explosion: "six-in-one" sunscreen clothing is favored
"Have you seen this brim? It can block the position above the nose when you break it off, so that the upper body is completely covered without a trace of space." In a certain brand's live broadcast room, the anchor was demonstrating sunscreen clothing products. The composition of this sunscreen clothing not only includes Upper body garments, as well as hats that completely envelop the head, as well as face shields and large, foldable brims.
Because of the high temperature this year, the sun is hotter than in previous years, and this wrapping has been dubbed "robbery-style" sunscreen clothing by netizens. , sunscreen umbrellas, sunscreen masks, sunscreen sleeves, sunscreen "six-in-one" sunscreen clothing is accepted by more and more consumers.
A reporter from Beiqing Daily searched an e-commerce platform for "sun protection clothing" on July 21, and retrieved thousands of related products, most of which cost between 100 and 300 yuan, and some products sold for more than 1,000 yuan.
Among the many products, the one with the highest sales volume has a monthly sales volume of more than 100,000 pieces.
The monthly sales of the top ten "sunscreen clothing" products are all over 20,000 pieces, and most of these are "six-in-one" models.
Men's sun protection clothing: two of the top ten sales
Compared with the previous one-sided female customer base in the sunscreen market, a reporter from Beiqing Daily noticed that the above-mentioned products ranked sixth and ninth in sales were male sunscreen clothing.
"For some reasons, I relied on bicycles for commuting this year. I do have a sunscreen suit, which makes it much more comfortable to ride on the road." Mr. Zhao, a Beijing citizen, said that not only that, he also bought two sets for his father to use sunscreen outside. , You can also block the air conditioner at home.
Analysts said that with the rise of consumer groups in the Z era, the topic of sun protection is no longer a women's patent.
As outdoor activities such as camping and cycling have become fashionable, the male group's demand for sunscreen has increased significantly.
A reporter from Beiqing Daily learned that during the "618" period this year, men's sunscreen clothing became the most popular item in outdoor clothing. During the first wave of sales of Tmall "618", the number of men's sunscreen clothing transactions increased by 50% year-on-year.
"Black technology" gimmick: sunscreen clothing contains hyaluronic acid and xylitol
According to CIC data, the market size of my country's sunscreen apparel has increased from 45.9 billion yuan in 2016 to 61.1 billion yuan in 2021, and is expected to reach 95.8 billion yuan in 2026.
Faced with a market that can reach 100 billion in 5 years, various brands have tried their best.
After going through several rounds of "competition" in terms of fabric, version, and functionality, this year, "ingredients" such as hyaluronic acid and xylitol have attracted the attention of merchants, turning into the most popular "black technology" for sunscreen clothing this summer.
A reporter from Beiqing Daily noticed that high-tech sunscreen fabrics such as AIRISm, ENFO-SHADOW, nano sunscreen fibers, condensed titanium, and twilight sunscreen technology can be seen everywhere and are no longer new.
The new one is "Mask Sunscreen Clothing", its slogan is "Sunscreen is more moisturizing", and the product details page emphasizes that it has the effect of moisturizing cream, because this sunscreen clothing contains "moisture" - the fabric contains a certain amount of hyaluronic acid, Once the skin is rubbed against the sunscreen clothing, "the moisturizing feeling reaches the bottom of the skin, saving the dry skin in summer".
There is also a sunscreen fabric containing "xylitol" that has also become a gimmick for many businesses this summer.
Many e-commerce companies sell sunscreen clothing containing xylitol. According to the page, this sunscreen clothing is made of xylitol’s ice oxygen, which is breathable and light on the skin. Wearing it on the body can reduce the body temperature by 5 degrees Celsius.
Higher price: the more "black technology" the better sun protection clothing?
The Beiqing Daily reporter noticed that the price of sunscreen clothing with "black technology" is relatively higher than that of similar products of the same brand.
So, are these "black technologies" really as magical as the merchants describe?
A textile chemical engineer said that whether sunscreen clothing is sunscreen is mainly based on two indicators, what fabrics are used for clothing, and what UV blockers are used in the fabrics. Only by improving this aspect can the sunscreen function of sunscreen clothing be improved, while the rest of the so-called Many of the "black technologies" are for merchants to increase the comfort of wearing sunscreen clothing, and some are even marketing gimmicks, which have nothing to do with whether the clothing is sunscreen or not.
According to industry insiders, the marketing process of the functional apparel industry today is - celebrities bring goods, social platform recommendations, and e-commerce platforms realize cash flow.
hint
Expert: If you want to avoid tanning, just look at the UPF value
Yao Weiming, a textile chemical engineer, said that if it is a formal sunscreen garment, it should pass the "Assessment of UV Protection of Textiles".
It stipulates that when the UPF is greater than 40 and the UVA transmittance is less than 5%, it can be called an anti-ultraviolet product.
Generally, GB/T18830-2009 and the specific UPF value will be marked on the hangtag.
If there is no relevant logo on the sun protection clothing tag, be suspicious of the product.
If you want to avoid tanning, you can't just look at the UPF value.
Because this value is derived from the superposition of UVA (causing tan) blocking rate and UVB (causing sunburn) blocking rate in the product.
Generally, UVA is more penetrating and the cost of protecting it is also higher. Therefore, some businesses have made the value of the UVB blocking rate very high to reduce the cost.
Therefore, if you want to sunscreen, in addition to paying attention to the UPF value, you must also pay attention to the UVA transmittance or blocking rate.
Man-made fibers (polyester, polyester, nylon) have a stronger ability to block UV rays than natural fibers (linen, cotton).
Polyester sunscreen clothing has good performance in terms of elasticity and wear resistance.
However, polyester is thick and airtight, and is mostly used for professional outdoor sun protection clothing.
If it is a hot summer, for daily wear, you can give priority to nylon, a light and breathable material.
However, the choice of sunscreen clothing of this material needs to see whether the added anti-ultraviolet agent is sufficient.
In addition, daily wear should choose sun protection clothing made of knitted material to ensure sweat absorption and breathability.
If you sweat a lot, you can also choose a style with some wrinkles on the surface. The style with smooth fabric is easy to fit after sweating, which affects the quick-drying property of the fabric.
Some people in the industry also said that when choosing sunscreen clothing in summer, the breathability of the clothing should be considered. On the premise of ensuring comfort, choose sunscreen clothing that can wrap most of the body as much as possible.
Generally speaking, colors with high saturation are better than colors with low saturation, darker colors have better protection effect than light colors, and red, black, and navy blue have better sun protection effect.
This group of articles / reporter Zhang Xin co-ordinator / Yu Meiying