Gap Boys' Kids Pique Polo vs Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt: which is safer?

Gap Boys' Kids Pique Polo is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Gap Boys' Kids Pique Polo

Gap Kids

Gap Boys' Kids Pique Polo

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

cotton pique knit

Confidence

72%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins (finish treatment)

PossibleAzo dyes and colorant heavy metals

PossibleResidual processing chemicals (de-sizing, bleaching)

Izod Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt

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 Formaldehyde resins (finish treatment), Azo dyes and colorant heavy metals and Residual processing chemicals (de-sizing, bleaching) on the Gap Kids 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 Gap Kids.
  • The Gap Kids is cotton pique knit where the Izod is cotton/polyester blend, no stated coating, 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 school uniforms: see the full ranking