THE KNOWLEDGE

You may look at a UPF number and think, ‘that sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean?’. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor and tells you how much UV radiation from the sun reaches your skin if you’re using this particular product. If the UPF is 50, only a 50th of UV rays that reach the fabric get to your skin, so it blocks 98% of rays. A UPF rating of 30 to 49 is considered very good, while 50 or more (as seen with Lifesystems’ Mountain Sun Cream, below) is regarded as excellent protection. The NHS has more information about UPF and sunscreen precautions at bit.ly/nhsupf