Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top vs Men's Geometric-Print Swim Shorts: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Bottom Turn Racerback Bikini Top is the clear pick. Reiss Men's Geometric-Print Swim Shorts 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
Excellent 90/100
Overall grade
Excellent 86/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear)
Confidence
72%
PossibleElastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine
Reiss
Men's Geometric-Print Swim Shorts
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 53/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Polyester swim short (likely uncoated)
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes and colorant migration
PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber
PossibleMicroplastics shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Elastane (spandex) degradation under heat or chlorine on the Patagonia and not on the Reiss.
- We flag Azo dyes and colorant migration, Antimony in polyester fiber and Microplastics shedding on the Reiss and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Nylon/polyester blend with elastane (standard swimwear) where the Reiss is Polyester swim short (likely uncoated), 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: 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