Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt vs Kids' L.L.Bean Multisport Joggers: which is safer?
Izod Boys' School Uniform Short Sleeve Polo Shirt is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
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
L.L.Bean
Kids' L.L.Bean Multisport Joggers
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
polyester/cotton blend with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
45%
PossibleAntimony in polyester
LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating finish (undisclosed source)
PossibleAzo dyes or non-substantive dyes
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes and color fastness, Formaldehyde in fabric finishes and Microplastic shedding on the Izod and not on the L.L.Bean.
- We flag PFAS in DWR finish (undisclosed source), Azo dyes or non-substantive dyes and Degradation of DWR coating over washing on the L.L.Bean and not on the Izod.
- Both carry a flag for Antimony in polyester, so neither choice avoids it.
- The Izod is cotton/polyester blend, no stated coating where the L.L.Bean is polyester/cotton blend with DWR finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Izod is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the L.L.Bean 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