Men's 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 Breathable Mesh Boxer Briefs

Fruit of the Loom

Men's Breathable Mesh Boxer Briefs

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 43/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Cotton and polyester blend, uncoated

Confidence

78%

PossibleAzo dyes

PossibleFormaldehyde resins (finishing agents)

ReportedColorant migration or bleeding

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 Formaldehyde resins (finishing agents), Colorant migration or bleeding and Microfiber shedding from polyester on the Fruit of the Loom and not on the Reebok.
  • We flag Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing and Elastomer degradation (spandex breakdown) on the Reebok and not on the Fruit of the Loom.
  • Both carry a flag for Azo dyes, so neither choice avoids it.
  • The Fruit of the Loom is Cotton and polyester blend, uncoated 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