Men's Athletic-Fit Wrinkle-Free Spread-Collar Dress Shirt vs Women's High-Rise Straight Stretch Linen-Viscose Utility Pants: which is safer?

Banana Republic Women's High-Rise Straight Stretch Linen-Viscose Utility Pants is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Arrow Men's Athletic-Fit Wrinkle-Free Spread-Collar Dress Shirt

Arrow

Men's Athletic-Fit Wrinkle-Free Spread-Collar Dress Shirt

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Cotton blend with wrinkle-free and stain-resistant finish

Confidence

45%

LikelyFormaldehyde releasers in durable-press finishes

ReportedFluorocarbon coating residues and off-gassing

PossibleAntimony in polyester blend component

Our pick

Banana Republic Women's High-Rise Straight Stretch Linen-Viscose Utility Pants

Banana Republic

Women's High-Rise Straight Stretch Linen-Viscose Utility Pants

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

linen-viscose blend, no water-resistant finish

Confidence

82%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins (wrinkle resistance, shape retention)

PossibleAzo dyes and heavy metal pigments

PossibleAntimony in polyester (if present in trim/elastic)

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde releasers in durable-press finishes, Fluorocarbon coating residues and off-gassing, Antimony in polyester blend component and Chemical migration with heat or sweat on the Arrow and not on the Banana Republic.
  • We flag Formaldehyde resins (wrinkle resistance, shape retention), Azo dyes and heavy metal pigments and Antimony in polyester (if present in trim/elastic) on the Banana Republic and not on the Arrow.
  • The Arrow is Cotton blend with wrinkle-free and stain-resistant finish where the Banana Republic is linen-viscose blend, no water-resistant finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Banana Republic is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Arrow grade, at 45% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.

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 stain-resistant professional workwear, see the full ranking