Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant vs Kids' L.L.Bean Multisport Joggers: which is safer?

Dickies Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Dickies Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant

Dickies

Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 49/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

cotton/polyester blend, no special coatings

Confidence

78%

PossibleAzo dyes and colorants

PossibleAntimony in polyester

PossibleHeavy metals in dyes and pigments

Kids' L.L.Bean Multisport Joggers

L.L.Bean

Kids' L.L.Bean Multisport Joggers

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

polyester/cotton blend with water-repellent coating finish

Confidence

45%

PossibleAntimony in polyester

LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating finish (undisclosed source)

PossibleAzo dyes or non-substantive dyes

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes and colorants, Heavy metals in dyes and pigments and Residual solvents or sizing agents on the Dickies and not on the L.L.Bean.
  • We flag PFAS in DWR finish (undisclosed source), Azo dyes or non-substantive dyes and Degradation of DWR coating over washing on the L.L.Bean and not on the Dickies.
  • Both carry a flag for Antimony in polyester, so neither choice avoids it.
  • The Dickies is cotton/polyester blend, no special coatings where the L.L.Bean is polyester/cotton blend 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 Dickies is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the L.L.Bean grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, 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 →

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