There is a “one-degree effect” in economics, which means that every time the temperature changes by 1℃, the sales volume of the product will change accordingly. In our country, the “once-degree effect” superimposed on the sports and outdoor market that has continued to heat up in recent years has directly led to the continuous increase in sales of sun protection clothing, a universal functional clothing, ushering in explosive growth.
In the past two days, I believe many textile people have come across the information that “a textile company signed an order for more than 1 million pieces of sun protection clothing.” This information not only allows us to see the strong consumer demand for hard sun protection equipment, but also the technological innovation capabilities of textile companies.
Hard sunscreen, a tens of billions market created by “covering up”
With the gradual awakening of public awareness of sun protection, the concept of sun protection is becoming increasingly popular. Sunscreen is divided into “hard and soft” categories. Hard sun protection is to achieve the purpose of sun protection through physical methods. Common equipment includes sun protection umbrellas, hats, sun protection clothing, etc. Soft sunscreen generally refers to chemical sunscreen methods such as sunscreen. Although applying sunscreen is the more traditional method of sun protection, hard sunscreen is undoubtedly more practical and can avoid potential risks such as skin allergies. Especially now that outdoor sports are so popular, people pay more attention to hard sun protection than ever before.
When walking on the streets in summer, probably the most common thing you see is all kinds of sun protection equipment. In order to block ultraviolet rays, most people are fully equipped with sun protection clothing, sun protection pants, and even sun protection masks. In recent years, sun protection equipment has become more user-friendly. For example, women’s sun protection clothing basically has an opening on the back of the hood to facilitate the removal of braids; sun protection masks are no longer limited to the scope of normal masks, and some directly expand the scope of protection. to the corners of the eyes and neck; not only are the palms of the sun protection gloves treated with anti-slip treatment, but the fingertips are also designed with openings for easy operation of mobile phones, etc.
Data shows that the market size of my country’s sun protection clothing has increased from 45.9 billion yuan in 2016 to 61.1 billion yuan in 2021, and is expected to reach 95.8 billion yuan in 2026. Relevant research reports also pointed out that the growth rate of the sun protection clothing market will remain above 15% in the next few years.
Therefore, in addition to those professional sunscreen brands that have already made a name for themselves, more and more textile and apparel companies are entering the hard sunscreen market in an attempt to get a piece of the pie.
R&D and innovation, market competition has become intense
After a large number of “players” poured into the hot sunscreen track, market competition has become increasingly fierce, and the competition between companies has entered a white-hot stage.
Whether it is outdoor sports or daily sun protection, the purpose of consumers purchasing hard sunscreen is to ensure the sun protection effect of the product, and fabric is the main carrier of sun protection performance. As a result, the fabric R&D and innovation sector has become a “must battleground” in the hard sunscreen market.
The fabric developed by the textile company that signed a million-dollar order uses original yarn sun protection technology. The yarn is added with a sun protection cooling factor to increase the sun protection factor and bring a refreshing experience. The weaving process uses a three-dimensional weaving method to make the fabric absorb moisture, quickly dry, be skin-friendly and non-sticky.
An enterprise integrating industry and trade said that with the rise of outdoor sports, the company has shifted its development direction from fashion to outdoor. In view of the “camping economy” in summer, a hard-core sunscreen fabric has been specially launched. The yarn used in this fabric has undergone a special spinning process to make the fiber cross-section appear in the shape of a flat cloud. Compared with ordinary yarn, it has the ability to block ultraviolet rays. More superior. Since the fabric itself has long-lasting UV resistance, the upper body of the garment allows consumers to walk with the light and not be afraid of the sun!
If hard sun protection items lack durability, comfort, and protection, then these products will easily lose the trust of consumers. For functional clothing products, once they lose the technological support on the fabric side, they may be able to successfully “fool” them once or twice in the early stage of promotion, but how many consumers will be willing to continue to pay for the “IQ tax” in the future?
Postscript:
As summer approaches, the need for sun protection surges. Survey research shows that March to June every year is the peak season for sunscreen products, and May is the peak of searches for sunscreen products, and it is also the fastest growing month for the sunscreen category. Are you excited about the hard sunscreen market that is not yet fully saturated?
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