Men's Premium Performance 3" Trunk Underwear 2-Pack vs Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs): which is safer?
PUMA Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs) is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
New Balance
Men's Premium Performance 3" Trunk Underwear 2-Pack
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyMicroplastic shedding (polyester fiber fragmentation)
PossibleAzo dyes and synthetic colorants
PossibleAllergic contact dermatitis from elastane or dyes
Our pick
Puma
Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs)
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (finishing agents)
ReportedMicroplastic shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Microplastic shedding (polyester fiber fragmentation), Azo dyes and synthetic colorants and Allergic contact dermatitis from elastane or dyes on the New Balance and not on the Puma.
- We flag Azo dyes, Formaldehyde resins (finishing agents) and Microplastic shedding on the Puma and not on the New Balance.
- The New Balance is polyester and elastane blend where the Puma is Cotton/polyester blend socks, no waterproofing, 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