It’s the reign of the umbrella, and not because of rain.
Sun umbrellas – used to protect against intense heat and ultraviolet rays – have long been a mainstay in Asian countries and on golf courses worldwide.
Now they’re catching on in the US, their popularity driven by social media, recommendations from dermatologists and increasingly extreme temperatures.
According to data from research firm Market Intelo, the global market for UV protection umbrellas is expected to reach US$2.9bil (approximately RM11.9bil) by 2034, up from US$1.8bil (RM7.4bil) in 2025.
While the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the majority of the market in 2025, North America comprised 18.5%, with the US representing the majority of that.
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The report cites rising UV radiation levels as a result of climate change and the growing awareness of skin cancer risks as the main drivers.
Tishayla Williams, an organisational and behavioural scientist in Richmond, Virginia, described herself as a “sun umbrella devotee” and said she first saw people using them in 2014 when she was stationed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, while serving in the US Army.
“They were everywhere, and I was surprised at first because it wasn’t raining,” she said.
She added that she is now interested in anti-ageing, and thus picked up the habit after returning home.
Williams, 32, uses a UV umbrella daily on her morning walks and when she’s running errands and said she has several styles, including a compact design that fits in her purse.
“I have fun rotating among my mini collection,” she said.
She added that she had been seeing more people in Richmond using them this summer than ever before.
Companies making UV umbrellas are seeing a bump in sales.
Davek, based in New York, introduced a sun parasol last summer that retails for US$85 (RM347). David Kahng, the company’s founder and CEO, introduced the style because of customer demand.
“Over the last two years, we were getting multiple calls a day to customer service from people requesting sun umbrellas,” he said.
“This year, we’ve already sold twice as many as last year.”
Shed Rain, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, a longtime maker of UV golf umbrellas, expanded its offerings in 2021.
The company sold 150,000 UV umbrellas in the US that year. By 2024, sales had climbed to more than 500,000, and according to Shauna Price, the brand director, the number is projected to reach 1.6 million this year.
Blunt, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, has offered UV umbrellas for more than a decade and has seen 60% year-over-year growth in sales, according to its founder, Greig Brebner.
He attributed the rise in part to the global sensation of South Korean skincare, fuelled by social media platforms and content creators who post their “get-ready-with-me” routines.
Dr Divya Shokeen, the founder of OSVI Dermatology And Surgical Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, said a UV umbrella “blocks the large majority of UV radiation”.
She noted that a standard umbrella with no UV treatment also offers protection, although not to the same degree.
“Dark, densely woven fabric performs better” at shielding UV rays, she said, compared to "light, loosely woven fabric”.
Shokeen said she almost never goes outdoors without her black-and-white polka-dot UV umbrella, along with sunscreen.
A UV umbrella blocks direct overhead ultraviolet rays, she added, but not rays that have been scattered or reflected off surfaces like pavement or sand, which can then creep in under the umbrella.
“I use it as an adjunct to sunscreen, not a replacement,” she said.
Shen cautioned that without third-party verification, a product’s “UV label means very little”.
She added: “You can still use it and get some protection, but you want to be using an SPF 50 tinted sunscreen for sure.”
Diane VanderLinden, a real estate broker in Weaverville, North Carolina, called her sun umbrellas her “favourite fashion accessory”.
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She owns a half-dozen from Wendy Newman Designs, based in Asheville, North Carolina, which incorporate paintings and photographs.
“The sun in the South is intense, so it’s functional, but I get into the designs,” VanderLinden, 66, said. “I get a ton of compliments and love giving them as gifts.”
And it’s not just women who are carrying sun umbrellas.
Mark Gillilan, founder and CEO of Kyoto Botanicals, a wellness brand based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, said that he regularly uses a black UV golf umbrella with a silver lining by Vessel, a luxury golf bag and accessory company, both on the course and when he takes his children to the park.
“A few years ago, I started noticing how strong the sun was and wanted to take care of my skin,” said Gillilan, 46.
“I never use an umbrella in the rain, but on sunny days, my UV umbrella gives me automatic shade.” – ©2026 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
