Younger people open up to parasols
According to online open market Auction, portable parasol sales jumped by 35 percent between May 9 and June 8 compared to the same period last year.
Of all the people who purchased yangsan, those in their 20s and 30s made up 47 percent, while consumers in their 40s accounted for 39 percent.
“With more young women taking care of their skin from early ages, parasol users are getting younger,” said Hwang Jun-hwa, a fashion director at Auction, in a press release.
“These young consumers prefer cute prints and patterns like polka dots rather than lacy products.”
When a parasol is used together with sunscreen, the combination is known to block ultraviolet rays by up to 90 percent.
With the growing number of beauty-conscious individuals, young women are not shying away from using parasols to prevent wrinkles caused by ultraviolet rays.
“I use a yangsan because UV rays cause skin aging. I also don’t want to get burned,” said Shin In-kyung, a college student.
The primary function of an umbrella is to protect people from rain, while a yangsan is designed to block ultraviolet rays.
But can people use umbrellas for ultraviolet rays instead of buying a new yangsan?
Kim Lee-yeon, an employee of Youjin Yangsan, a local parasol manufacturer, says umbrellas can act as a substitute when necessary.
“In general, materials used for umbrellas and parasols block UV rays by 80 percent,” said Kim.
“The main difference between umbrellas and parasols is that the latter blocks UV rays by a higher percentage.”
Yangsan are available from many online open markets as well as department and discount stores. Prices vary depending on the model, but the starting price is usually 10,000 won ($9.60).
BY JANG SEO-YOUNG CONTRIBUTING WRITER [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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