•Protective layers for con concrete element.•Impact behavior of Concrete element covered with Cotton-FRP, Cotton-FRCM and polyurea.•Tensile Characterization of Cotton-FRP, Cotton-FRCM and Polyurea. During their lifetimes, concrete structures can be subjected to impact actions that can cause considerable damage or collapse. This paper proposes the use of protective layers and/or deformable coating materials to prevent significant damage to concrete elements. The selected systems included a cotton-fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (Cotton-FRCM), fibre-reinforced polymers (cotton-FRP), and two types of polyurea. The materials were subjected to tensile tests to analyse their mechanical properties. To assess the effectiveness of the protective layers, concrete specimens were externally reinforced to perform ultrasound and impact tests. The results demonstrated that a polyurea coating formed the most effective protective layer for avoiding immediate damage to the concrete specimen because of its deformation capacity. However, the stiffness behaviour, deflection energy, and composite action presented by the specimen strengthened by cotton-FRCMs on both faces suggest that this system can be more effective for higher impact energies.