Women's Originals U-back Swimsuit vs Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top is the clear pick. adidas Women's Originals U-back Swimsuit carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Adidas
Women's Originals U-back Swimsuit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Possiblewater-repellent coating degradation and microparticle release
ReportedPFAS in water-repellent coating
Our pick
Patagonia
Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleElastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Antimony in polyester, DWR coating degradation and microparticle release and PFAS in DWR coating on the Adidas and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag Elastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine on the Patagonia and not on the Adidas.
- The Adidas is polyester/nylon blend with DWR water-repellent coating where the Patagonia is Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Adidas grade, at 42% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More swimwear: see the full ranking