Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top vs Men's Prologue Long Sleeve Spring Suit: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top is the clear pick. Quiksilver Men's Prologue Long Sleeve Spring Suit carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Patagonia
Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleElastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine
Quiksilver
Men's Prologue Long Sleeve Spring Suit
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemistry (fluorinated or fluorine-free unknown)
ReportedNeoprene degradation and microparticle shedding
PossibleChlorine and salt water interaction with coatings
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Elastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine on the Patagonia and not on the Quiksilver.
- We flag DWR coating chemistry (fluorinated or fluorine-free unknown), Neoprene degradation and microparticle shedding and Chlorine and salt water interaction with coatings on the Quiksilver and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear) where the Quiksilver is Neoprene/synthetic rubber with DWR treatment, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 70 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Quiksilver 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 swimwear: see the full ranking