When the sun comes out and temperatures rise, most of us instinctively reach for lighter clothing. White T-shirts, pale shorts, light caps and breathable fabrics are often the go-to choices for hot weather.
But could the same principle apply to kinesiology tape?
In hot, sunny conditions, the colour of your RockTape may influence how much solar heat is absorbed by the taped area. While colour choice is usually based on personal preference, team kit, visibility or style, there may be another factor worth considering during a heatwave: heat absorption.
Does Colour Really Make a Difference?
Research informs us that surface colour can influence the absorption of solar radiation.
A study by Paminto, Fianti and Yulianti (2021) investigated how different surface colours affected the absorption of solar heat. The researchers covered acrylic boxes with stickers of different colours, placed them under sunlight, and measured temperature changes using a digital thermometer.
The results showed that colour did make a difference. Darker colours absorbed more solar radiation, leading to greater temperature increases, while lighter colours absorbed less.
In the study, the order of colours from highest to lowest solar heat absorption was:
Black → Green → Red → Purple → Yellow → Pink → Blue → White
Black absorbed the most solar heat, while white absorbed the least.
What Does This Mean for RockTape?
RockTape is often worn during sport, exercise, rehab, outdoor work and daily activity. In normal conditions, your choice of tape colour may simply come down to preference. But during hot, sunny weather, colour might become a more practical consideration.
If you are applying RockTape to an exposed area of skin — such as the shoulder, knee, calf, ankle, back or forearm — and that area will be in direct sunlight, a darker tape colour may absorb more heat than a lighter one.
This does not mean dark RockTape is unsafe or unsuitable. It simply means that, in hot outdoor conditions, lighter colours may be a more sensible option if your goal is to minimise heat absorption.
The Coolest Colour Choices
Based on the order reported in the study, lighter colours such as white, blue, pink and beige may absorb less solar heat than darker colours such as black, green and red.
So, if you are training, competing, walking, running or working outdoors in hot sunny weather, choosing a lighter RockTape colour may help reduce additional heat absorption over the taped area.
This could be particularly relevant for:
- Outdoor runners
- Cyclists
- Hikers
- Field sport athletes
- Tennis and golf players
- Outdoor workers
- People exercising during a UK heatwave
- Anyone with tape applied to exposed skin
A Useful, Evidence-Informed Consideration
It is important to be clear about what the research does and does not show.
The study examined coloured surfaces and solar radiation absorption using acrylic boxes and stickers. It did not specifically test RockTape on human skin during sport or exercise.
However, the principle is still useful: surface colour can influence solar heat absorption. Therefore, when using RockTape in direct sunlight, especially in warm weather, colour choice may be worth considering.
Reference
Paminto, J., Fianti, F. and Yulianti, I. 2021. The effect of surface color on the absorption of solar radiation. Physics Communication, 5(1), pp.27–32.