Protective clothing market sizzles as awareness rises

Manufacturers rake in profits as more people cover up to block harmful UV rays

Wearing a wide-brimmed visor, a pair of sun-protection gloves, a cool-touch face mask and a lightweight yet sunproof hoody has become essential on sunny days for Gao Yuan, who works for a pharmaceutical company in Beijing.

On her way to work, Gao, with a parasol in hand, crosses paths with women wrapped up in a whole package of sunscreen gear from head to toe.

Missing any item would make the 29-year-old woman angry as wearable products for sensitive skin types like hers are more essential than sunscreen to fight off harmful sun exposure.

"When it comes to shielding myself from the sun, I am an expert who can talk about way more than just slathering on sunscreen," Gao said, adding that she has spent plenty of time and money on selecting more effective and fashionable sun-protection clothing and accessories.

Gao is just one of the thousands of people that are part of the Chinese sun-protection market that is surging with scorching speed, along with people's rising awareness about the harm of ultraviolet rays.

While traditional sun-protection businesses, such as sunscreen brands, continue to benefit from Chinese people's fear of harmful sun exposure due to health and beauty reasons, protective clothing and accessories are rapidly gaining traction.

According to a report by China Insights Consultancy, a Shanghai-based consulting firm, sales of sun-protection clothing in China expanded from 45.9 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) in 2016 to 61.1 billion yuan in 2021 and are expected to reach 95.8 billion yuan in 2026.

During the recently concluded 618 shopping festival, China's midyear shopping event, Zhang Min, a 23-year-old postgraduate student in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, had her eyes on several sun-protection products that are both functional and fashionable.

Zhang bought a camping-style purple jacket that suits current fashion trends and aesthetics, as well as two silky masks and a pair of sunglasses with polarized lenses, altogether costing over 1,000 yuan.

"When sun-protection clothing started to gain popularity around 2019, its functional and sometimes comical style, like the facekini, seemed without any deliberate design," she said. "Now there are many stylish choices that use high-quality materials in a variety of shades and patterns that keep abreast with the latest trends, but they are not cheap."

Statistics from the big data analysis platform for e-commerce powered by Beijing-based O&O Consulting show that retail sales of sun-protection clothing in China surged 353.18 percent year-on-year and amounted to over 600 million yuan in May alone.

Cheng Weixiong, an analyst in the apparel and footwear industry, said that such consumer demand is a result of the pursuit of fair skin tones that have been favored by Chinese people for decades, who are now increasingly more conscious of the negative impacts of ultraviolet rays with skin cancer and accelerated aging being the biggest concerns.

Unlike lotions and creams, these sun-protection products are wearable. Thus, they provide the added value of fashion on top of their original function, Cheng said, adding that Chinese makers, buoyed by consumers with strong buying power, often take the category of clothing to the next level.

"Manufacturers have been incorporating novel techniques to enable moisture-wicking properties and a lightweight feel while still offering exceptional sun protection to stand out from the multitude of peers and catch consumers' interest," Cheng said.

They have also tailored a wide variety of styles to meet people's diversified needs in different scenarios including running, camping and cycling, he added.

According to Chinese corporate information provider Tianyancha, the number of enterprises involved in the sunscreen clothing business came in at about 300, more than half of which were established within the past five years. Furthermore, patents related to sun protection totaled some 7,000 items.

China's sun-protection market has grown from a niche industry to a major force worth billions of dollars in sales each year, which has not only spawned new homegrown players such as Beneunder and OhSunny, but also provided fertile ground for existing names like Bosideng, a major manufacturer of down coats.

Zhu Gaofeng, chief financial officer and vice-president of Bosideng, said that the quality of sun-protection clothing is benchmarked against its down jackets, which have a good reputation among consumers.

The company has prioritized both aesthetics and functionality in its clothing to attract fashion-conscious customers. For that reason, sales reached over 200 million yuan in the past three months, registering a significant increase compared to the same period last year, according to Zhu.

Chai Zhenzhen, an analyst at the research institute of Chinese e-commerce giant JD, said that the trick for manufacturers is offering effective protection from ultraviolet rays without compromising on trendy designs.

Designing stylish and comfortable products that seamlessly blend into an individual's wardrobe can prove crucial when penetrating this fast-burgeoning yet highly-competitive market segment. For instance, incorporating traditional Chinese elements or collaborating with local designers can tap into these fashion-centric demographics, Chai said.

Meanwhile, a rising number of male consumers has given a boost to the market, she added.

In June, sales of male sun-protection gear on Tmall, a major e-commerce platform, expanded significantly year-on-year, with sales of ultraviolet-proof clothing doubling compared with the same period of last year, data from its parent company Alibaba revealed.

Ye Zhengyang, 31, who works in a Stated-owned enterprise in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, used to shun sun-protection products — especially umbrellas and sunscreen — as the majority of men around him hold the belief that they're exclusively for women and using them would diminish masculinity.

"I'm embracing these wearable options since they are no different from ones already in my wardrobe and fit perfectly into everyday wear," he said, adding that most of the sunscreen outfits and hats for men highlight sporty designs and muted colors. More of his male colleagues have followed suit and bought sun-protection jackets.

The soaring demand is also fueled by intense global heat waves that are affecting China on a large scale this summer, as a number of cities have already hit record temperatures of over 40 C.

According to China's National Meteorological Center, temperatures surpassed 40 C for days in certain areas of Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces, as well as the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, which triggered red weather alerts, the highest in China's three-tier warning system for high temperatures.

Wang Li, an analyst at Co-Found Think Tank, said that as temperatures continue to soar globally, public awareness and concerns around sun protection will increase on an ongoing basis, boding well for substantial growth potential for ultraviolet radiation-resistant clothing and accessories.

That said, the dangers of too much sun shouldn't be exaggerated. Instead, they say, people should be educated to properly understand the role of sunshine and respond reasonably. Moderate exposure to ultraviolet light helps people to synthesize vitamin D, Wang added.