Men's Mesh Jersey Performance Wicking No Fly 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.

New Balance Men's Mesh Jersey Performance Wicking No Fly Boxer Briefs

New Balance

Men's Mesh Jersey Performance Wicking No Fly Boxer Briefs

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

polyester mesh with moisture-wicking finish

Confidence

45%

PossibleAzo dyes in polyester fabric

PossibleFormaldehyde-based resins in moisture-wicking finish

LikelyFinish degradation and off-gassing over time

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 Azo dyes in polyester fabric, Formaldehyde-based resins in moisture-wicking finish, Finish degradation and off-gassing over time and Microplastic shedding from mesh 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 polyester mesh with moisture-wicking finish where the Reebok is nylon, spandex, cotton blend, 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 Reebok is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the New Balance 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 sports performance undergarments: see the full ranking