Men's Straight Fit Jeans vs Men's Wrangler Riggs Workwear Relaxed-Fit Five-Pocket Jeans: which is safer?

Patagonia Men's Straight Fit Jeans is the clear pick. Men's Wrangler Riggs Workwear Relaxed-Fit Five-Pocket Jeans carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Our pick

Patagonia Men's Straight Fit Jeans

Patagonia

Men's Straight Fit Jeans

PFAS grade

Excellent 90/100

Overall grade

Excellent 82/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

cotton denim, no water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating

Confidence

82%

PossibleFormaldehyde-based finishing resins

PossibleDye bleed and skin contact allergens

Men's Wrangler Riggs Workwear Relaxed-Fit Five-Pocket Jeans

Wrangler

Men's Wrangler Riggs Workwear Relaxed-Fit Five-Pocket Jeans

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 57/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

100% cotton denim, no reported water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) or stain-resistant coating

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dye residue and unfixed dyes

PossibleFormaldehyde in sizing and finish resins

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde-based finishing resins and Dye bleed and skin contact allergens on the Patagonia and not on the Wrangler.
  • We flag Azo dye residue and unfixed dyes and Formaldehyde in sizing and finish resins on the Wrangler and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is cotton denim, no durable water repellent (DWR) coating where the Wrangler is 100% cotton denim, no reported durable water-repellent (DWR) or stain-resistant coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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 stain-resistant jeans, see the full ranking