FAQs

UV rays are short for Ultraviolet radiation (UVR). In 2012, natural as well as artificial UVR was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a group 1 carcinogen (cancer-causing) to humans. 

We are exposed to UV rays daily when we step outside in the sunlight. We are also exposed to artificial UV rays when placing our hands in nail lamps to dry the gel polish.

UVA (aging) rays penetrate deep into the dermis, the skin’s thickest layer and are primarily responsible for premature skin aging, brown spots, wrinkling, and blotching. While UVB (burning) rays are shorter and penetrate the outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis.

UVA rays have been shown to cause skin damage at the cellular level and indirectly to the DNA.

Unprotected exposure can lead to premature skin ageing and wrinkling (photoageing), and lead to some skin cancers.

UVA rays are present even on a cloudy day and can penetrate through window glass, so it is important to use sunscreen year-round to protect against UVA rays. UVA rays are the type of UV radiation emitted from gel nail lamps.

UVB rays are more intense rays that usually burn the superficial layers of your skin and damage the outer layers of the skin. UVB rays play a key role in the development of skin cancer.

Gel nail lamps, both UV and LED, emit Ultraviolet-A (UVA) rays to cure gel polish. UVA rays are a type of radiation responsible for premature aging of the skin (wrinkles, age spots, laxity, and lack-lustre skin) and also contribute to the development of skin cancer. These aging rays are also emitted by the sun. UVA rays are the longer UV rays that penetrate the deeper layers of our skin called the dermis.

Have you heard LED nail lamps are UV-free? This is a common myth! Gel polish designed for nail lamps contains an ingredient called, Photoinitiators, which require UV light to start the curing or hardening process. Also, a 2021 study found LED nail lamps emit UV rays at an intensity up to 3 times higher than traditional UV lamps!

So when you slide your hand into the lamp to cure your gel polish, you are exposing the backs of your hands to UV rays. Cumulative unprotected exposure to UV rays increases your risk of the harmful changes mentioned above. This might be a bit worrying, but just remember, the sun is also a source of UV rays and we don't stop going outside, we just wear sun protection. So, keep calm and slip MANISAFE gloves on!

I'm sure you've heard that our hands are one of the first parts of the body to show signs of premature aging. The good news is they don't have to be. Most of this "aging" is the sign of sun/UV damage. Using gold-standard UV protection, like MANISAFE UPF 50+ gloves, during your manicures (and outdoors) can keep your hands looking healthy and youthful for longer!

MANISAFE gloves are easy to slide on, and provide instant and reliable UVA and UVB protection. Unlike SPF, the protection doesn't wash or rub off or leave a greasy residue. And they come in cute prints and colours, what's not to love?!

Disclaimer: This is where our inner-nerd comes out 🤓

Research on the topic of skin damage or skin cancer risk, and the use of gel nail lamps is in its early phases and only started in 2009. To give you some perspective, it took over 40 years before there were enough peer-reviewed studies published to prove smoking was hazardous to health. So more peer-reviewed published studies are needed to help us understand the risks of nail lamp use.

That being said, there have been several case reports published in medical journals, documenting women with a history of long-standing and regular unprotected use of nail lamps presenting with pre-cancerous lesions and skin cancer solely on the backs of their hands. Another study by Shipp et al (2014), compared the UV dosage emitted by nail lamps to the dosage required to cause DNA damage to skin cells. The authors found skin damage may start to occur in as little as 8 nail lamp sessions. A 2023 study published in Nature Communications exposed skin cells to nail lamp UV rays and found that one 20-minute session of exposure to the UV lamps resulted in 20 to 30% cell death and three consecutive 20-minute sessions resulted in 65 to 70% cell death. In the remaining cells, the exposure caused mutations that are typically seen in patients with skin cancer.

The current skin cancer risk of nail lamps is considered to be low to moderate when used in isolation but as mentioned earlier, more research is needed to definitively confirm what the true risk is.

That being said, it is a known fact that unprotected exposure to natural and artificial UV radiation is a Group 1 carcinogen (proven to be cancer-causing), as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Another key point is the effects of repetitive UV exposure is cumulative. This means every unprotected exposure your skin experiences adds up and increases your risk for premature aging and skin cancer. This is why looking at the UV risk of gel nail lamps in isolation, is short-sighted. We need to look at it as additional exposure to our daily outdoor UV exposure. It all adds up, so it is wise to protect your skin in all scenarios. Medical professionals recommend UV protection is applied during nail lamp use.

MANISAFE prides itself on staying up-to-date with available research on this matter. We hold a bank of current journal articles related to the topic.

Should you like further information please visit our The Science page here.

MANISAFE UV protective gloves are UPF 50+ rated providing excellent UV protection. Our gloves are designed to be worn during a gel manicure but our customers find them suitable for many light-duty recreational activities, where sun or UV protection is needed including:

• Driving

• Walking / Running

• Cycling

• Water sports

Or any other activity you enjoy outdoors!

Yes absolutely. If you experience photosensitivity you should limit your exposure to UV rays and protect your skin when you are out in the sun or using gel nail lamps, which emit UV rays.

MANISAFE UV protective manicure gloves are UPF 50+ rated which means they block out at least 98% of both UVA and UVB rays. This is the highest rating that can be achieved for UV protection clothing, so you can have peace of mind when wearing MANISAFE.

Photosensitivity, commonly called "sun allergy" is when a person's skin has an exaggerated reaction to sunlight or artificial UV light, and can burn quite easily or develop a sunburn-like rash. This can put you at higher risk for lasting skin damage and skin cancer. You need to take extra care to safeguard your skin health when you have photosensitivity.

When outdoors, driving or getting gel manicures, be sure to protect your hands with UV protective gloves or a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or more.

According to the US Skin Cancer Foundation, there are many things that can cause photosensitivity such as:

Oral medications:

Oral contraceptives (birth control), Antibiotics, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines and certain heart medicines and statins for lowering cholesterol can make you more sensitive to UV light.

Herbal Supplements:

St. Johns Wart.

Auto-immune diseases:

Lupus erythematosus

Metabolic disorders: Porphyria.

UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. Clothing is the most effective form of UV protection and UPF clothing is the gold standard. Clothes need to meet certain standards to be classified as UPF.

A UPF rating is kind of like a SPF rating for clothing. Clothing with a UPF rating indicates how much of the sun’s UV radiation is blocked by the fabric before it reaches your skin. A garment must achieve a UPF rating of at least 15 before it can be called UPF clothing.

UPF50+ is the highest rating achievable, and all of our gloves achieve this rating. This means that at least 98% of UVA and UVB rays are blocked by the fabric and cannot damage your skin. MANISAFE gloves act as a sunblock that you wear. The best bit is there is no greasy residue 🙌

UPF is the protection rating given to Fabrics and SPF is for Sunscreen.

A UPF50+ is the highest UV protective rating available in the world for fabrics and blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

SPF only refers to the sunscreens ability to block out UVB (burning rays). As UVA rays (ageing rays) are present year around and make up the majority of the rays that reach the earth's surface it is extremely important to choose a broad spectrum sunscreen with a PA+ or UVA star rating.

You need to wear sunscreen on areas which are not covered by your MANISAFE gloves.

Manisafe's level of sun protection exceeds all worldwide published standards for UPF 50 ratings.

This means when we test our gloves for their ultraviolet protection factor, it far exceeds the protection level of 50.

So the Australian standard (AS 4399:2020) by which our gloves are rated, indicates that we go above and beyond by using the “+” symbol. This informs you that our gloves can block more than 98% of UV rays.

MANISAFE London gloves are made from 4-way stretch poly-elastane fabric, meaning it is very accommodating to different hand sizes.

Through our rigorous product testing process, the one size fits most design was suitable for all testers.

Customer satisfaction is very important to us.

If you believe your MANISAFE gloves do not give you adequate coverage, please get in touch with our customer service team via email at hello@manisafe.com and we can arrange a return for you.

If we find there is large demand for additional sizes we will be sure to expand our size range.

MANISAFE London's UV protective manicure gloves are made from a speciality UV protective poly-elastane fabric, that is lightweight, breathable and 4-way stretch for a comfortable fit.

Made up of 90% polyester (which is 59 pre-consumer recycled polyester) and 10% elastane.

Making our fabrics an eco-friendly choice compared to gloves made with solely traditional polyester.

MANISAFE gloves are a reusable garment to protect your skin again and again.

Please follow the washing instructions on the care label.

Please note the label does suggest tumble drying is suitable but we recommend line drying your gloves.

We absolutely love our collection of London-inspired prints but we are keen to know if there is other prints you would like to see available.

Please reach out if there is a print you would love to have for your next pair of MANISAFE gloves. You can email us at hello@manisafe.com.

We will definitely consider it in our next round of design and development!

We currently ship to the following regions:

Canada (excluding Quebec)

Republic of Ireland

Mainland Europe

Are you from the UK? You can purchase MANISAFE gloves from Bio Sculpture UK! Click here to head to their website.

Our goal is to eventually ship worldwide. So check back for updates, as we will add new shipping destinations when available.

We use Canada Post as our courier within Canada and Internationally.

We are a very small business and will fulfill your order the same day if ordered before 2 pm Monday through Friday. Orders placed after 2 pm on a Friday, will be dispatched the next working day. We are closed on weekends and please note holidays can affect these timelines.

Please note from time to time we will have exceptionally high order volumes that will prevent this. We will strive to get orders dispatched as soon as possible.

Once dispatched to our courier your order will be delivered within the timelines of the shipping option you choose at checkout.

Please note holidays may impact these schedules.

We are not responsible for any shipping deliveries that may be affected by customs, natural occurrences, air and ground transportation strikes or delays, nor any extra fees, customs or back-end charges once the package has exited Canada.

All items purchased in our Black Friday sale between 16th November, 2023 and 27th November, 2023 inclusive are final sale. Final sale means no refunds or exchanges will be provided for purchases made within the Black Friday Sale period stated above. 

For purchases made prior to 16th November, 2023 a return can be arranged free of charge within in the UK.

We are happy to offer a return on items that are in perfect condition and with proof of purchase.

Returns requests must be made within 30 days of receiving the product. Please email hello@manisafe.com with your order number and details of your request and we’ll get back to you within 72 hours. All unused and faulty products will be accepted.

Optimal UV protection for your skin is our utmost priority and impacts our ability to choose a 100% sustainable fabric. The poly-elastane fabric requires important technical qualities to meet a UPF 50+ rating for UV protection.

That being said, we have managed to source fabric with over 50% pre-consumer recycled polyester. Which significantly reduces its environmental impact compared to traditional polyester.

The handy wrist pulls and finger loops are made from vegan suede and the carry pouch is made with vegan leather. Therefore, our products are cruelty-free.

Absolutely!

Shipping:

We have partnered with GoodShipping to decarbonize our shipping. GoodShipping changes fossil bunkering into bio bunkering. They do not offset, but actually reduce CO2 emissions without any struggles. We cover the fuel premium for a biofuel volume corresponding to all of our freight, resulting in Manisafe's shipping to be climate neutral.

This way we prevent 5000 kg of CO2 emissions on an annual basis.

Packaging:

Our product sleeves are made from recycled paper and are recyclable. Also, our postal packaging is completely plastic-free and 100% recyclable.