FabricIQ
Reading the label…
Methodology
Every product on FabricIQ has a Health Impact grade alongside its Quality and Sustainability grades. It answers a different question than "is this well-made" — it asks how much plastic touches your skin, sheds into the air you breathe, and what chemical treatments did this garment likely receive on its way to you.
Heuristic, not medical advice. Treat as a directional signal — "all else equal, lean toward the lower-impact alternative."
Health Impact composites these three independent penalties off a starting score of 100.
Synthetic fibers (polyester, nylon, acrylic, fleece, spandex) shed microscopic plastic fibers every wash and every wear. They end up in waterways, indoor air, and human blood, lungs, and placentas.
Wearing plastic against your skin all day is not the same as wearing it as an outer shell. Sweat increases dermal exchange. Some categories (underwear, baby clothing, sleepwear) sit on skin all day.
Continuous: weighted_synthetic_pct × 0.3, capped at −30. So 100% poly underwear (×1.4 = 140) caps at −30; 100% poly jacket (×0.5 = 50 × 0.3) = −15.
Three common manufacturing finishes leave residues that have raised regulatory or peer-reviewed concerns. We flag likely, possible, and trace based on composition × category.
The same blend in different categories gets different penalties. 100% polyester underwear scores worse than a 100% polyester jacket — even though the fabric is identical.
Highest skin-to-body-weight ratio
All-day direct contact, sensitive tissue
All-night direct contact
Sweat increases dermal exchange
Standard daily wear
Mostly skin contact, less sweat
Often worn over a base layer
Worn over other clothing
Minimal skin contact
Industry-standard finishes that leave detectable residues. Heuristic flags — we don't lab-test individual SKUs.
Outerwear / Jackets, ≥50% synthetic
Durable water repellent (DWR) on synthetic outerwear. Industry standard until very recently; many brands still ship C6 PFAS or fluorine-free DWR that degrades to PFAS analogues.
EU REACH phase-in 2025–2027
Shirts, ≥50% cotton + ≥5% poly
Wrinkle-resistance finish on cotton-dominant dress shirts (especially "non-iron" / "wrinkle-free" marketed). The "new shirt smell" is often residual off-gassing.
WHO/IARC Group 1 human carcinogen
Any item, ≥30% polyester
Antimony trioxide is the catalyst used to polymerize PET. Trace residue (typically 200–300 ppm in fabric) is widespread; recycled PET reduces but doesn't eliminate it.
EU REACH SVHC, suspected Cat 2
score = 100 - microPenalty - skinPenalty - chemPenalty score = max(0, score)
Guides for the most-searched health topics. Each page has the science, the alternatives in our catalog, and the citations.
Plastic-free clothing — stop wearing synthetic fibers
Synthetic fibers shed up to 1.7 million microplastic particles per wash and have been measured in human blood, lungs, and placentas. Browse 100% natural-fiber alternatives across t-shirts, activewear, basics.
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PFAS-free jackets and outerwear
Most synthetic jackets are treated with PFAS-based durable water repellent. PFAS are persistent endocrine disruptors. Browse natural-fiber outerwear without PFAS DWR finishes.
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Non-iron shirt alternatives — without formaldehyde
Most "non-iron" or "wrinkle-free" cotton dress shirts are finished with formaldehyde resin. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen. Browse untreated cotton and linen dress shirt alternatives.
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Plastic-free baby clothing
Babies have higher skin-to-body-weight ratio and absorb more dermally. Synthetic baby clothing means plastic against the most absorbent skin in the household. Browse 100% natural-fiber baby essentials.
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Plastic-free underwear
Synthetic underwear is plastic against the most absorbent skin on your body, all day, every day. Browse 100% natural-fiber underwear and base layers.
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When fabric labels lie — what "100% organic cotton" actually means
Composition labels often understate synthetic content. "Organic cotton" certifications get faked. "Natural" garments hide polyester linings. What to look for and how to read clothing labels with skepticism.
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Synthetic-free activewear — wool and natural fiber alternatives
Polyester activewear sheds maximum microplastics during sweat-soaked workouts. Merino wool wicks moisture, regulates temperature, and is naturally antimicrobial — without the plastic.
Read
Peer-reviewed papers and regulatory filings behind every threshold above. Each links directly to its DOI or the agency's primary topic page. Full bibliography on the research page.