String Triangle Bikini Top vs Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top: which is safer?

Patagonia Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top is the clear pick. Aerie String Triangle Bikini Top carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Aerie String Triangle Bikini Top

Aerie

String Triangle Bikini Top

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 47/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

nylon/polyester blend (standard swimwear)

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes in synthetic textiles

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in textile finishing

ReportedElastane (spandex) degradation and microfiber shedding

Our pick

Patagonia Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top

Patagonia

Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top

PFAS grade

Excellent 90/100

Overall grade

Excellent 86/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 1

Material

Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear)

Confidence

72%

PossibleElastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes in synthetic textiles, Formaldehyde resins in textile finishing and Elastane (spandex) degradation and microfiber shedding on the Aerie and not on the Patagonia.
  • We flag Elastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine on the Patagonia and not on the Aerie.
  • The Aerie is nylon/polyester blend (standard swimwear) where the Patagonia is Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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