Evaluation of Ultraviolet Protection Claims Made by Umbrella Brands

The objective of this study was to review and evaluate umbrellas sold in the United States for sun protection. Seeking shade is among the current recommendations for protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation, often through the use of handheld umbrellas (HU), beach umbrellas (BU), and patio umbrellas (PU). The study aims to assess the validity of UV protection factor (UPF) claims made by manufacturers and to determine if there is sufficient testing data to support these claims.

To evaluate consumer online shopping behavior for umbrellas for use as shade in the sun, keywords and keyword phrases were identified followed by Google (Google LLC, Mountain View, California, United States) and Amazon (Amazon.com, Inc., Seattle, Washington, United States) searches to determine brands and products retrieved. The top 13 brands and corresponding products were evaluated for their UV protection claims and validation of these claims.  Results: Of the 37 products including HU, BU, and PU, it was found that umbrellas for sun protection are more likely to be marketed with a UPF claim despite a 95% CI for a validated UPF claim of 2-10% with the breakdown for HU as (0%, 50%), BU (14.3%, 87.5%), and PU (0%, 0%). All UPF claims that were validated were only based on the new unused product and not after being subjected to wear and tear.

The marketing of umbrellas for use in the sun as a shade structure favors the use of UPF claims despite the absence of a standardized definition. The lack of validation for these claims along with inherent limitations of UV protection offered by shade structures suggests the UPF claim may be more of a promotional tactic than a reliable indicator of the UV protection provided. This underscores the need to continue recommending other sun-protective behaviors, such as wearing sunscreen and sun-protective clothing, even while using umbrellas.