SITE TO KNOW : COOLIBAR

April 28, 2008

Thanks to Holly for bringing my attention to this excellent store. It is unquestionably a Site To Know in your anti-cancer arsenal.

There is a previous article on sun protection in the Archives, entitled The 28 Sun Facts You Should Know . It provides some background on sun protection. This is an area that evolves quickly because consumers, the skin care industry, the FDA, and the medical community all care about it.

The Coolibar objective

A private company based in Minneapolis, Coolibar’s mission is to develop superior sun protective clothing to allow people to safely enjoy life in the sun. They have researched and assembled an impressive inventory of effective and affordable clothing and sun-related products for the whole family.

Founded in 2001 by Australian, John Barrow, the company brings Australia’s world-leading approaches to sun protection to North America. They continue to be the only producer of sun protective clothing to receive The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation.

Here are 3 facts that set me up for a reality check :

  • In Australia, 2 out of 3 people will be treated for skin cancer.
  • In the US, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed.
  • 80% of skin cancer could be prevented.

This is a company whose product we need to be aware of.

Education

From an educational perspective alone, Coolibar is a great resource. There is an absolute wealth of information here about sun protection, the meaning of the term UV Index, the interaction of sun and certain medical conditions, and the role of sunscreen and sun protective clothing.

The most interesting thing I learned was about UPF, or Ultraviolet Protection Factor, which is how the clothing is rated. This is like SPF, but addresses UVA and UVB, where SPF is only a UVB rating. A UPF 50 means that 1/50 of the sun’s rays penetrate the garment , or 98% of the UV rays are blocked.

Organization

The entire site is exceptionally easy to navigate. You can find everything fast. I haven’t yet purchased anything, but I would not expect any issues here at all.

I loved Sunscreen By Ingredient. I try to look at the new sunscreens on the market each year before I decide which to buy. This year, I’m looking for titatium dioxide and zinc oxide products because they are so effective in a wide range of wavelengths of light, and very non-irritating. These are the ones that make your kids white, but they don’t sting if they get into the eyes. Interestingly, you can buy a gallon of Blue Lizard Baby SPF 30 at Coolibar for US $180.

Sun Protection by Activity (swimming, golf, etc) is a useful navigational aid as well. Gardeners can look at products of interest to them, instead of the swimwear.

Clothing, hats, swimwear for all ages.

The clothing is great. The choices for kids are especially great. Have a look at the page for Infants here. Now that is cuteness!! And so smart, with the throw and the beach tent. And these sunglasses, would these look good, I ask you ?? in one of the hats? best looking baby out there, and 98% UV-protected.

I know a young boy who would be quite taken with the dolphin swim shirt and I would guess there are many others like him. The clothes for teens are actually things my children would be pleased to wear, never an achievement to be taken for granted.

I have a daughter who burns very easily. I’m going to buy her this perfect swim top. It’s beautifully cut so I know she’ll agree to wear it.

Since I appear in a bathing suit once a year maybe, unless the temp gets over 34C (32C being my ideal temperature), I won’t be needing a suit. A hat, now…I’m a big hat wearer. There are 31 styles of women’s hats to choose from. Which one, which one? And there’s also the golf hat from the screenshot at the top. Oh, the indecision.

Durability

There was a concern with sun protective clothing that it washed out quickly, so I wondered if the protection factor would last an entire season, or hopefully longer, in salt and chlorine. My other concern was whether the clothing protects against UVA as well as UVB rays. Both questions are fully addressed on this page . The answers are yes and yes. The clothing has an SPF rating of 50. That much chemical in a lotion applied directly to the skin could be very irritating.

Merchandise can be returned within 30days, but must be new, unused, and with all original packaging and accessories. That’s not as generous as some return policies, probably because this is a smaller company than LLBean or JCrew. If you exchange an item, there is no return shipping fee, which I liked (presumably that applies to Canadian orders as well).

Holly tells me that the sizes run big. A Large is indeed very ample in its sizing. Holly also bought the Tucson hat and finds it excellent.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Sites To Know, Skin Care 

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