Brothers Men's Supima Cotton Boxer Briefs vs Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack: which is safer?

Reebok Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Brooks Brothers Men's Supima Cotton Boxer Briefs

Brooks

Brothers Men's Supima Cotton Boxer Briefs

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 49/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Supima cotton, no surface treatment disclosed

Confidence

78%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in finishing treatments

PossibleAzo dyes and synthetic colorants

PossibleElastane degradation and microfiber shedding

Our pick

Reebok Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack

Reebok

Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

nylon, spandex, cotton blend

Confidence

72%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing

PossibleAzo dyes

PossibleElastomer degradation (spandex breakdown)

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde resins in finishing treatments, Azo dyes and synthetic colorants, Elastane degradation and microfiber shedding and Heavy metals in pigments or dyes 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 Supima cotton, no surface treatment disclosed 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