Scuba Swimsuit vs Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top: which is safer?

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

Scuba Swimsuit

COS

Scuba Swimsuit

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

polyamide (nylon) or polyester blend

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes in synthetic textiles

PossibleFormaldehyde in textile finishes and resins

PossibleCoating degradation and microplastics release

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 in textile finishes and resins and Coating degradation and microplastics release on the COS and not on the Patagonia.
  • We flag Elastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine on the Patagonia and not on the COS.
  • The COS is polyamide (nylon) or polyester blend 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: 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