Men's Mesh 5 No Fly Boxer Brief 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.
New Balance
Men's Mesh 5 No Fly Boxer Brief
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes (allergenic colorants)
PossibleAntimony (polyester catalyst residue)
ReportedMicrofiber shedding (synthetic fiber release during wear and wash)
Our pick
Reebok
Women's Air Tech Performance Brief Panties 6-Pack
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleElastomer degradation (spandex breakdown)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes (allergenic colorants), Antimony (polyester catalyst residue) and Microfiber shedding (synthetic fiber release during wear and wash) on the New Balance 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 New Balance.
- The New Balance is Mesh polyester, elastane blend 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