Men's Coolsoft Boxer Briefs vs Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack: which is safer?

These two grade almost identically. Pick on price and preference; neither has a PFAS edge.

Fruit of the Loom Men's Coolsoft Boxer Briefs

Fruit of the Loom

Men's Coolsoft Boxer Briefs

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

cotton/polyester blend, no stated treatment

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes and dye residues

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in finishing

PossibleMicroplastic shedding

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 and dye residues, Formaldehyde resins in finishing and Microplastic shedding 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, no stated treatment 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