Men's 3 Pack Breathable Mesh 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.

Fruit of the Loom Men's 3 Pack Breathable Mesh Boxer Briefs

Fruit of the Loom

Men's 3 Pack Breathable Mesh Boxer Briefs

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 49/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

cotton/polyester blend, breathable mesh

Confidence

75%

PossibleAzo dyes (synthetic colorants)

PossibleFormaldehyde-resin finish

PossibleElastic degradation and migration

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 Azo dyes (synthetic colorants), Formaldehyde-resin finish, Elastic degradation and migration and Microfiber shedding during washing on the Fruit of the Loom 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 Fruit of the Loom.
  • The Fruit of the Loom is cotton/polyester blend, breathable mesh 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