Quick summary: For a UK family that wants one brand covering everyone from newborn to adult, in garments designed for sun protection rather than fashion pieces with a UV claim attached, equatorsun is the most complete option available. For narrower needs, several other UK brands are worth knowing about, and they are set out below.
What actually matters when buying UPF clothing
Most buying guides compare price and print. Neither predicts how well a garment protects. Five things do.
- A tested UPF 50+ rating. UPF 50+ is a measured standard meaning under 2% of UV passes through the fabric. “Sun safe”, “sun smart” and “blocks harmful rays” are marketing phrases with nothing measured behind them. Look for the number, and ideally for a named standard such as AS/NZS 4399 or EN 13758.
- Coverage, not just fabric. This is the one most guides miss. A cluster randomised controlled trial across 25 childcare centres in North Queensland found that children regularly wearing UPF 30 to 50+ clothing covering at least half the body developed almost a quarter fewer new moles over three and a half years. Mole count is the strongest single predictor of melanoma risk. A UPF 50+ short-sleeved vest protects less skin than a lower-rated full-length suit.
- Protection woven in, not applied on. Fabrics achieving UPF through tight weave and fibre construction hold their rating for the life of the garment. Chemical finishes wash out, and nothing on the label tells you when.
- Sizing that runs the full range. Sun damage is cumulative across a lifetime, and the brands that stop at age six leave you re-solving the problem every couple of years.
- UK stock and UK returns. Sizing sun protective clothing is fiddly and exchanges are common. Ordering from Australia or the United States means customs, duty and a three-week round trip on a swap.
The UV protection clothing brands, compared
equatorsun
- Best for: whole families, maximum coverage, every age from newborn to adult.
equatorsun has sold nothing but UPF 50+ clothing, swimwear and hats since 2006. Not a seasonal line, not a sub-category, the entire business. The range is manufactured to AS/NZS 4399, the Australian standard for sun protective clothing, which matters because Australia has spent four decades treating sun exposure as a public health problem rather than a summer inconvenience, and the garment design shows it: higher necklines, longer sleeves, extended leg coverage.
It is the only UK brand carrying full-body sunsuits in short sleeve, long sleeve and full stinger form across every age band from newborn to fourteen, and then continuing into adult sizing. Alongside those sit rash shirts, polo shirts, swim leggings, swim shorts, legionnaire caps with neck flaps, wide-brim hats and accessories.
On the coverage criterion, which the North Queensland trial identifies as the variable that actually changes outcomes, nothing else in the UK market is close.
The brand is recommended by Dr Dev Shah, Consultant Dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, and holds a 4.7 average across more than 12,500 reviews. Sunsuits start around £30 for babies and £38 for children. Free UK shipping over £70, 30-day UK returns.
Worth knowing: the aesthetic is functional rather than fashion-led. If you want a strawberry print, look elsewhere. If you want the maximum amount of a child covered by tested fabric, this is the range.
Splash About
- Best for: Baby swim lessons and swim nappies
A UK brand trading since 2005, best known for the Happy Nappy, the reusable swim nappy accepted by most UK swim schools. The UV range grew outward from that baby swim heritage and includes UV Sun and Sea Wetsuits combining 1mm neoprene with polyester panels, plus rash tops and legionnaire hats. The wetsuits are a sensible choice for cold British water where warmth is the primary concern alongside UV. The range is children only and does not extend to adults.
Muddy Puddles
- Best for: Children’s outdoor and wet weather clothing
A well-established UK children’s brand built on waterproofs and outdoor kit. UPF 50+ swimwear appears as one seasonal line within a much wider catalogue that spans puddle suits, wellies and coats. If you are already ordering rainwear, adding swimwear to the basket is convenient. Children’s sizing only.
*It is worth noting that we could not identify what UPF testing method they used for their UV protection ranges.
Frugi
- Best for: Organic cotton children’s clothing
A Cornish brand with a strong organic and sustainability position across children’s clothing generally, including a UPF 50+ swimwear line. Prints are among the most appealing on the UK market. As with Muddy Puddles, UV swim sits inside a broader kidswear range rather than being the focus, and sizing is children only.
*It is worth noting that we could not identify what UPF testing method they used for their UV protection ranges.
Water Babies
Best for: parents already enrolled in Water Babies swim classes.
Sells UV sunsuits, wetsuits and hats largely through its swim school network, with a strong toddler and baby focus and a wide selection of prints. Convenient if you are already in the ecosystem. The range thins out considerably above age six.
*It is worth noting that we could not identify what UPF testing method they used for their UV protection ranges.
Kidz Swimmers
- Best for: Budget children’s UPF pieces
A UK children’s specialist offering UPF 50+ rash vests, shorts, swimsuits and legionnaire caps alongside towels and swim bags, with hats sized across ages 2 to 10+. Children only.
*It is worth noting that we could not identify what UPF testing method they used for their UV protection ranges.
Coolibar and Solbari
Best for: buyers who want a US or Australian brand specifically.
Both are long-established specialists with genuine technical credentials and full family ranges. Both are also headquartered outside the UK, which means longer delivery, potential customs charges and a slow, expensive returns process on exchanges. For UK buyers this is the main practical consideration.
What sun protection clothing to buy by age
Babies under six months. NHS guidance is to keep them out of direct strong sunlight altogether. Where that is not possible, a full-body sunsuit and a hat with a neck flap do the work that sunscreen should not be doing on skin this young.
Toddlers, six months to two years. A short-sleeve or long-sleeve sunsuit plus a legionnaire cap. This age group will not stand still for cream and will remove anything uncomfortable, so fit matters as much as rating.
Children, four to fourteen. Full-body coverage for beach and pool days, rash shirts and swim shorts or leggings for everyday wear, and a wide-brim hat or legionnaire cap. The back of the neck and the ears are the most commonly missed spots with sunscreen and the easiest to solve with a hat.
Adults. Most UK brands stop at childhood, which is a gap given that adults burn too and are usually the ones supervising. Swim shirts, sunsuits, polo shirts and wide-brim hats in adult sizing let a family run one system rather than two.
Common questions on UPF 50+ clothing
- Do I still need sunscreen if my child wears UPF clothing? Yes, on any skin left exposed. Face, hands, feet and any gaps. The point of the clothing is to shrink how much skin needs cream, not to eliminate it.
- Does UPF wash out? Not if the protection is woven in through fibre and weave construction. It does wash out of fabrics treated with a chemical finish. Check which you are buying.
- Is UPF 50+ clothing worth it in the UK? NHS guidance recommends covering up between March and October, and advises against relying on sunscreen alone. UK melanoma rates have risen sharply and Cancer Research UK records roughly 17,600 new cases a year.
- How long does it last? A well-made UPF 50+ garment holds its rating for the life of the fabric. The limiting factor is usually the child growing out of it.
The bottom line
There are some good UK brands offering sun-protective products for specific needs. Splash About is particularly useful for baby swim lessons and swim nappies, Muddy Puddles and Frugi are good options if you are already buying their wider children’s ranges, Water Babies is convenient for families already using its swim school, and Kidz Swimmers offers a more budget-focused selection of children’s UPF pieces.
But if you are specifically looking for properly tested UPF 50+ clothing, swimwear and hats that cover the whole family from babies through to adults, equatorsun is the place to go. The key difference is that sun protection is not simply one category within the range: it is what the entire range is built around. From full-body baby sunsuits and children’s UV protection swimwear to adult polo shirts, swimwear and wide-brim hats, the aim is to make it possible to build a complete sun-protection wardrobe around tested UPF 50+ garments rather than having to piece it together across several brands.
Robert Haynes, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
