Coolibar UV Protective Swimwear

Coolibar sun protection swimwear was rated "Best Overall" in America by the Wall Street Journal and Coolibar is the first brand in America recommended for protection from the sun by The Skin Cancer Foundation.

Choosing Sun Protection Swimwear

There are a number of factors to consider when selecting uv protection swimwear including our quality swimwear. The most important factors affecting sun protection are skin coverage, fabric, and fit.

Sun protective swimwear is typically used in a highly intense UV environment – at the beach or at the pool during summer. The best approach to protection from the sun in this environment is a combination of UV protection swimwear, sunscreen, and shade. As a general rule, the greater skin coverage through uv protection swimwear, the less the area that needs to be protected by sunscreen that wears off and needs to be continually reapplied. UV protective swimwear that fully covers your shoulders and arms like swim shirts (and swim tights for legs) is the best choice for guaranteed all-day protection.

The fabric used to make sun protective swimwear is important for a number of reasons. The best uv protective swim wear fabrics will be rated UPF 50+ based on a complete life cycle test when the fabric is wet. Sun protective fabrics will typically lose some of their protection as they age, so garments should be tested for their end of life cycle protection value. Fabrics also provide less sun protection when wet. This is because water displaces air in the fabric and UV transmits better through water than air. A recent modification to the AATCC 183 protocol for testing spf swimwear calls for testing the fabric when wet & dry; providing a better evaluation of the protection level when the garment is used in water as intended. So the best spf swimwear will provide UPF 50+ protection when wet at the end of it's life cycle.

Fit is important for appearance, comfort and sun protection levels. For many people, their first thought is to choose tight fitting swim shirts; just like the original rash guards or rash shirts worn by surfers. However, when stretched the weave of a fabric will open and can allow significant amount of UV to pass through the fabric. For this reason, Coolibar's sun protective swimwear is designed to be worn close to the skin but not to be skin tight.

If you consider these factors in selecting sun protective swimwear, you can be confident your choice will provide excellent sun protection.

Sun Protective Swimwear

All Coolibar uv protection swimwear is made from a unique Australian inspired 4-way stretch knit polyester fabric that has far superior chlorine and salt water resistance compared to nylon-lycra. The fabric rates UPF 50+ in all colors and so is guaranteed to block 98% or more UV (both UVA and UVB).