Men's Slim-Fit Dress Shirt vs Men's Back Step Shirt: which is safer?
Men's Slim-Fit Dress Shirt is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Banana Republic
Men's Slim-Fit Dress Shirt
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
analysis pending
Verdict
pending
Hazard flags
none flagged
Material
Cotton/cotton-blend woven fabric
Confidence
72%
Patagonia
Men's Back Step Shirt
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Recycled polyester with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating finish leachates (non-PFAS chemistry unknown)
PossibleMicrofiber shedding during wash
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR finish leachates (non-PFAS chemistry unknown) and Microfiber shedding during wash on the Patagonia and not on the Banana Republic.
- The Banana Republic is Cotton/cotton-blend woven fabric where the Patagonia is Recycled polyester with DWR 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 Patagonia grade, at 45% 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 wrinkle-free dress shirts: see the full ranking