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Life > For Him, for Her

I Had No Idea My Son's Underwear Was Made With Toxic Chemicals Linked to Serious Hormonal Issues

Chances are, your son is wearing them too.

By Lauren Miller

Updated: 2 days ago

A pair of folded men's underwear, a wrapped gift, and an open book on a wooden table.

I bought my son's underwear the way everyone does. Grabbed off the rack at the nearest department store, on my way to something else.

Sometimes I splurged. On special occasions I'd get him the "performance" briefs he swore he needed for baseball, the pricey ones, the brand with a lemon in the name 😉.

Then I read something that stopped me cold...

A study from the 90s, still cited in research today, on what polyester does when it's worn against heat-sensitive tissue for hours at a time.

The fabric has been linked to endocrine disruption, chemicals that quietly interfere with the body's own hormones.

But here's the part I never knew.

Polyester is plastic. The dyes and finishing chemicals that turn it into "performance" fabric include compounds like phthalates, which researchers call endocrine disruptors because they've been linked to throwing the body's hormones off balance.

Plastic and hormone-disrupting chemistry, against my growing son's skin, all day, every day, for years.

I felt sick. The one thing he pulls on every single morning, against some of the most absorbent skin on his body, was the one thing I'd never thought to question.

So I went looking for something better. What I found is exactly what I want to show you.

Keep reading.

Here's What I Found

1

What He Wears All Day Is Petroleum Plastic.

Check the label on his current pair. Most popular men's underwear, including the athletic and premium brands, runs 87 to 92% polyester or nylon. Those are petroleum fibres. Plastic, spun into thread and sold as performance fabric. He pulls it on every morning and wears it for sixteen hours, against some of the most sensitive skin on his body. For a 40 minute workout, the fabric barely matters. For all day, every day, for years, it's worth a closer look. And it isn't only the plastic itself. It's what's done to the plastic to make it wearable.

2 That Plastic Is Processed With Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals.

Here's the part that stopped me cold. Turning plastic into soft, colorfast "performance" fabric takes a chemical process. The dyes, softeners, and finishing treatments include compounds like phthalates. Researchers call those endocrine disruptors, because they've been linked to interfering with the body's natural hormones. Then there's the skin itself. The skin in that area is among the most absorbent on the body, so whatever sits against it all day doesn't simply stay on the surface. This was never about a workout or a number. It's about what's pressed against my son's skin every day, while his body quietly absorbs it.

*NADS uses a small amount of BPA-free elastane in the outer. The contact layer next to skin is 100% organic cotton.

3 "Organic Cotton" From Mainstream Brands Isn't Actually Clean.

Here's what nobody tells you. "Organic cotton" only describes the farm. The cotton can still be bleached, dyed with harsh chemicals, and finished with treatments you'd never knowingly put near him, and the label still says organic. GOTS certification is the audit that covers the whole chain, not just where the plant grew. Farm to finished garment, third-party inspected. That's exactly what I went looking for. NADS has it. Most brands don't.

Three pairs of folded black NADS boxer briefs arranged diagonally on a plain background.

4 He Wanted A Performance Brief. So I Found Him A Cleaner One.

I wasn't going to win by taking away the style he likes. He wanted a supportive, athletic brief, not loose boxers, and that's fair. So I looked for the same thing made better. NADS makes a boxer brief in the same snug, supportive cut he was already reaching for. The difference is everything you can't see. A 100% organic cotton liner sits against the most sensitive skin, GOTS-certified through the whole supply chain, breathable cotton there instead of trapped-in polyester. He keeps the fit he wanted. The skin that matters most sits against organic cotton, not plastic.

Two fresh apricots rest in a small fabric hammock suspended from a stone ledge in the sunlight.

5 His Body Keeps That Area Cooler For A Reason.

There's a reason that part of the body sits a little apart and runs cooler than the rest of him. It's built to regulate its own temperature. Wrap it in plastic for sixteen hours and you trap heat and moisture against skin that's meant to breathe. The result is the warm, stuffy dampness anyone who's worn synthetic underwear on a hot day already knows. Natural fibre lets that area do what it's designed to do. It breathes, it stays drier, and it works with his body instead of against it.

6 He Wasn't Going To Find This On His Own. That's Not A Criticism.

My son is 26. He researches plenty of things. His underwear has never been one of them, and honestly, why would it be? No one ever told him it was worth a second look. I only found this because I was already looking. That's the thing about being a mother. The job description doesn't come with an expiry date. You keep paying attention, you keep acting on what you learn, and sometimes you just buy the underwear.

7 It Costs Less Than Most Things I Buy Him Anyway.

A full drawer of NADS costs less than a decent birthday gift. Less than the jacket I bought him last Christmas. Less than dinner when he comes to visit. The difference is he'll wear this every single day, against the skin that matters most. As ways to take care of someone you love go, the maths is pretty simple.

A shirtless man with a long beard stands on a beach holding a surfboard in front of him.

8

The Men My Son Actually Follows Already Wear These.

I expected to have to talk him into it. What I didn't expect was that he already knew the name. NADS has over 4.8 stars across thousands of reviews, and the people wearing them aren't strangers to him. They're the athletes, lifters, and guys whose podcasts he listens to on the drive to work. It turns out the switch I was nervous about recommending was one his own world had already made. I wasn't dragging him somewhere new. I was catching him up.

A muscular man in dark underwear sits on a foam roller, with promotional text overlaid on the image.

9

They Have a 90-Day Fit Guarantee.

A muscular man in dark boxer briefs uses a foam roller, with ad text for a 90-day fit guarantee.

Buying for someone else, the only real risk is sizing. So there isn't one. If the fit is off, or he just doesn't love them, returns and exchanges are free for 90 days. Order with confidence, and if you need a different size, it's an easy swap.

SHOP SIZE & COLOR →

What Happened After

I told him what I'd bought and why. He rolled his eyes the way he does when he thinks I'm being his mother — which, again, I was.

He called me two weeks later.

Asked me to order more. Said they were the most comfortable underwear he'd ever worn.

I didn't say I told you so. I just placed the order.

P.S. The Sizing Thing

Order one size up from what he normally wears. NADS run small — if he's a medium, get a large. If he's between sizes, go bigger. Free exchanges if you get it wrong. But size up and you won't need to.