UPF and SPF | What's the Difference?

Written by Selena Kemp

UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) & SPF (Sun Protection Factor) are 2 different units of measure used to communicate the level of sun ☀️ protection offered by clothing & sunscreen.

UPF | 👕 measures the effectiveness of the level of sun protection offered by clothing.

SPF |🧴measures the effectiveness of the level of sun protection offered by sunscreen.

The key differences between the two units of measure are :

UPF

Is used to measure & communicate the effectiveness of clothing as a method of sun protection
Indicates the level of protection offered against UVA & UVB rays
Tells consumers how much radiation will pass through the fabric to the skin
Offers all day protection when worn as instructed

SPF

Used to measure & communicate the effectiveness of sunscreen as a method of sun protection
Indicates the level of protection offered against UVB rays
Tells consumers how long it will take for exposed skin to burn in the sun
Needs to be reapplied in line with the manufacturers instructions

UPF & SPF ratings in simple terms

UPF & SPF ratings might seem confusing so we’ve made a quick reference guide to summarise some of the in's & out's!

UPF | Used for rating clothing 👕

UPF rating 15 | minimum protection
At this level only 1/15th of the suns rays will penetrate the fabric, therefore blocking 93.3% of the UVA / UVB rays.

UPF rating 30 | good protection
At this level only 1/30th of the suns rays will penetrate the fabric, therefore blocking 96.7 % of the UVA / UVB rays.

UPF rating 50+ | excellent protection
At this level only 1/50th of the suns rays will penetrate the fabric, therefore blocking 98% of the UVA / UVB rays.

SPF | Used for rating Sun Screen 🧴

Keep in mind the performance of your sunscreen will be influenced

by your natural skin colour
if the sun screen has been applied thickly enough
if you’ve been sweating a lot
if you’ve been swimming
if you’ve been sitting in the shade
if you have other types of sun protection on such as long sleeves, a hat, sunglasses etc

SPF rating 15+
- By applying SPF 15+ it will take 15 times longer to burn compared to no protection at all
- At this level approximately 93.3% of UVA rays are filtered out

SPF rating 30+
- By applying SPF 30+ it will take 30 times longer to burn compared to no protection at all
- At this level approximately 96.7% of UVA rays are filtered out

To put that into real life terms, if you have fair skin & your unprotected skin goes red within 10 minutes of sun exposure then applying an SPF 30 sunscreen will provide protection for up to 300 minutes (when used correctly).

SPF rating 50+
- By applying SPF 50+ it will take 50 times longer to burn compared to no protection at all
- At this level approximately 98% of UVA rays are filtered out.

To take a deep dive on UPF ratings in clothing click here.