Brothers Men's 3-Pack Cotton Boxers vs Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack: which is safer?
These two grade almost identically. Pick on price and preference; neither has a PFAS edge.
Brooks
Brothers Men's 3-Pack Cotton Boxers
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes and residual dye chemicals
PossibleHeavy metals in dyes (cadmium, lead)
PossibleSkin irritation from residual processing chemicals
Reebok
Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleElastomer degradation (spandex breakdown)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes and residual dye chemicals, Heavy metals in dyes (cadmium, lead) and Skin irritation from residual processing chemicals on the Brooks and not on the Reebok.
- We flag Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing, Azo dyes and Elastomer degradation (spandex breakdown) on the Reebok and not on the Brooks.
- The Brooks is 100% cotton where the Reebok is nylon, spandex, cotton blend, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
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 sports performance undergarments: see the full ranking