Boys Classic Fit Flat Front Pant vs Boys Short Sleeve Performance Polo: 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
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Poor 49/100
Verdict
Skip
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
Nautica
Boys Short Sleeve Performance Polo
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 16/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
polyester blend with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating finish chemistry (non-PFAS alternatives unclear)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes and colorants, Antimony in polyester, Heavy metals in dyes and pigments and Residual solvents or sizing agents on the Dickies and not on the Nautica.
- We flag DWR finish chemistry (non-PFAS alternatives unclear) on the Nautica and not on the Dickies.
- The Dickies is cotton/polyester blend, no special coatings where the Nautica is polyester 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 Nautica 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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