Classic Fit Men's Stain Defender Button Down Shirt with Long Sleeves vs Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt: which is safer?
Izod Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Dockers
Classic Fit Men's Stain Defender Button Down Shirt with Long Sleeves
PFAS grade
Poor 25/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
cotton blend with stain defender finish
Confidence
45%
LikelyPFAS in stain defender finish
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in cotton-blend finishing
PossibleAntimony in polyester component
Our pick
Izod
Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Poor 49/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
cotton/polyester blend, no stated coating
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes and color fastness
PossibleFormaldehyde in fabric finishes
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in stain defender finish, Formaldehyde resins in cotton-blend finishing, Antimony in polyester component and Chemical off-gassing during storage or new wear on the Dockers and not on the Izod.
- We flag Azo dyes and color fastness, Formaldehyde in fabric finishes, Antimony in polyester and Microplastic shedding on the Izod and not on the Dockers.
- The Dockers is cotton blend with stain defender finish where the Izod is cotton/polyester blend, no stated coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 40 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Izod is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Dockers grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
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 school uniforms: see the full ranking