No Cap

'Tis the season for beauty-branded hats. No one needs them.

With summer bearing down on us — and the beauty industry determined to make sure the sun does not — ‘tis the season for skincare companies to mass-produce silly little logoed caps and call it “sun protection.”

Glossier sells its dad hat with a bottle of sunscreen as part of a “Sun Shield Duo”.¹ Dieux Skin says its bucket hat is “better than natural cloud cover.” Cocokind insists its terry cloth visor acts as “extra UV protection” while Heyday’s is embroidered with three little letters: “SPF.”

Yes, it’s true that protecting oneself from excess sun exposure can help prevent skin cancer. And it’s true that wearing a hat is a fine way to do it. But it would be unfair and inaccurate — and honestly, I’d go so far as to say delusional — to categorize these specific hats as sun protection. These specific hats are more like needlessly produced fashion items that function as on-body billboards to promote the needless buying of beauty items; effectively encouraging the kind of capitalist consumerism that’s known to accelerate climate change, decrease levels of stratospheric ozone (“Earth’s natural sunscreen,” per NASA), increase the amount of UV radiation reaching the planet’s surface, and contribute to skyrocketing rates of skin cancer.

I’m aware this is a dramatic take, but it is a true one.

• Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cited capitalism as a driving force behind global warming, and warned that “the nature of social and economic development produced by the nature of capitalist society” is “ultimately unsustainable.” 

• The fashion and beauty industries are major contributors to climate change.

• Studies show climate change is proven to “increase the risk and burden of skin cancer.”

• The International Journal of Women’s Dermatology reports that a “2 °C increase in ambient temperature is estimated to increase skin cancer incidence 11% globally by 2050.”

The gratuitous production of beauty-branded merch is not going to save our skin. “I’m With The Brand” accessorizing is not the solution to sun exposure, but part of the problem. (The Danish Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a single cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset the environmental impact of its production; one might assume a similar stat for Heyday’s 100% cotton cap.)

Again, by all means, include a hat in your personal UV protection protocol! You probably already have a hat²; wear that one!! Aestheticizing skin cancer prevention with a newly-purchased wearable corporate ad is a touch too bleak to buy into, no?

---

For more on this subject, here’s an old interview I did with Beauty Independent on why cosmetic companies need to stop mass-producing merch:

Beauty Independent
What do you think brands should be thinking about when it comes to putting out merch? 

Jessica DeFino (me)
I think brands should be thinking: Is this merch absolutely necessary to my business model? (If you aren't a business that sells clothing/accessories, the answer is no.) What is the environmental impact of this merch, from production to disposal? Is there some sort of important message emblazoned on this merch, and if so, will its social impact make up for the environmental impact? Does this merch better the world, or just my own business? And in the vast majority of cases, I think the answer will be: No, the world does not need my skincare company's branded merch.

Beauty Independent
What should consumers think about this merch craze? 

Jessica DeFino
Consumers should realize that branded merch is brand marketing that you foot the bill for. Merch essentially acts as a billboard, for the brand specifically and for consumer culture in general. When you wear the merch, you are transformed into a walking advertisement.

Beauty Independent
If you were a brand, how might you handle it? Where do you think it's headed? 

Jessica DeFino
If I were a brand, I would simply decide to not make merch. Unnecessary, cheap, and trend-driven clothing & accessories are quite literally accelerating global warming. The earth absorbs the cost. Sadly though, I suspect the beauty merch movement is headed in the opposite direction. It looks like it's gonna blow up. (And oddly, so does the planet!!!)

1. As always, I provide links to these products to prove they exist and provide readers with full context, not to encourage shopping. You won’t find affiliate links here!

2. Those not fortunate enough to already have a hat are probably not going to spend $30 to get one from Glossier; let’s not pretend the bougie bucket hats are made with them in mind, please.