You read labels on food. Maybe even your skincare. But have you ever read your clothing tag?
Most people haven’t. We’re not trained to question what touches our skin every day, even though it's the body's largest organ.
From leggings and sports bras to sheets and baby onesies, polyester is everywhere. And while it’s marketed as durable, moisture-wicking, and cost-effective, the truth is far murkier.
Emerging science and firsthand experiences paint a very different picture, one that links polyester to hormone disruption, skin issues, and even fertility concerns.
Key points
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Polyester is plastic and it’s everywhere in your wardrobe. But what’s marketed as “performance” fabric may come with hidden health risks that aren’t listed on the tag.
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Synthetic fibers can release toxins into your skin. Polyester is often treated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals like PFAS, phthalates, and formaldehyde. These substances can be absorbed through your skin, especially when mixed with heat, sweat, and friction.
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Health effects range from skin irritation to hormone disruption. Polyester has been linked to rashes, respiratory issues, and even fertility concerns. Daily wear can create a long-term toxic load.
What Is Polyester and Why Is It So Popular?
Polyester is a synthetic fabric made from petroleum-based plastic.
Over the decades, polyester has quietly become the dominant player in our wardrobes. Its rise has been fueled by fast fashion, cheap clothing made quickly to meet high demand.
Polyester is cheap to produce, durable under pressure, and naturally wrinkle-resistant, three qualities that make it a favorite for manufacturers trying to meet the demands of mass-market clothing.
You’ll find polyester in almost everything: bras and underwear, leggings, fleece jackets, bedsheets, even baby pajamas. It’s marketed as high-performance and easy-care, but what’s often left out of the conversation is what polyester does to the person wearing it.
We’ve been trained to think about price and performance but it’s time we start thinking about impact, on our health, our children, and our environment.
Because what’s easy for a brand’s bottom line might be quietly taxing yours.
10 Health Risks of Polyester That Might Surprise You
Polyester isn't just uncomfortable for some people, it may pose serious health risks. If you’ve ever questioned why your skin reacts to certain fabrics or why you sleep better in cotton sheets, these risks may explain why.
1. Skin Irritation, Rashes, and Dermatitis
Polyester doesn’t breathe the way natural fibers do. It traps heat, moisture, and sweat, creating the perfect storm for skin issues. This can lead to breakouts, eczema flare-ups, itchiness, or even chronic dermatitis, especially in people with sensitive skin or compromised skin barriers.
2. Hormone Disruption from PFAS & Phthalates
PFAS, used in moisture-wicking and stain-resistant clothing, are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the body or the environment.
Phthalates, often hidden in elastic bands or coatings, are known endocrine disruptors that have been linked to breast cancer.
Polyester, especially in bras and underwear, can be a primary exposure point.
3. Infertility in Men and Women
Polyester underwear has been studied by the NIH as a potential male contraceptive. The fabric’s electrostatic properties disrupt testicular function, lowering sperm count.
For women, exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals like BPA, PFAS, and phthalates, often embedded in synthetic textiles, can interfere with ovulation and fertility cycles.
4. Headaches and Respiratory Issues from VOCs
New polyester garments can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chemicals that off-gas into the air. In confined spaces, or when worn during exercise, these fumes may trigger headaches, lightheadedness, and respiratory irritation.
5. Formaldehyde Exposure
To make polyester wrinkle-resistant and “easy care,” manufacturers often treat it with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. It can leach through sweat through transdermal absorption, contributing to skin sensitivities.
6. Increased Absorption During Sweat
Your skin becomes more permeable when you sweat. That’s why synthetic activewear can be a double-edged sword, releasing PFAS, BPA, and dyes right when your body is primed to absorb them.
This is especially concerning in bras and leggings worn tightly against the skin during intense workouts.
7. Long-Term Toxic Load from Daily Wear
We don’t wear clothes once, we live in them.
Over time, even small, repeated exposures to endocrine disruptors and carcinogens in polyester can accumulate in your body, taxing your detox pathways and potentially disrupting internal systems.
So even your “worn-in” activewear might be shedding toxins onto your skin.
8. Contact Urticaria (Hives)
Some synthetic additives and textile finishes in polyester can trigger contact urticaria, an immediate allergic reaction characterized by hives, redness, or swelling.
For sensitive individuals, this can happen within minutes of putting on certain garments.
9. Possible Links to Cancer (Still Under Study)
There’s no conclusive link between polyester itself and cancer in everyday use.
But the chemical treatments it often carries, like antimony trioxide, formaldehyde, and flame retardants, are linked to carcinogenic effects.
10. Liver and Kidney Stress from Absorbed Toxins
The body’s filtration organs, particularly the liver and kidneys, process what we absorb through the skin.
Repeated exposure to toxins in polyester, especially through sweat, may place an added burden on these vital systems over time.
So What Should You Wear Instead?
Thankfully, safer, health-conscious options do exist. The key is knowing what to look for and who to trust.
Here are two powerful, practical ways to make smarter choices for your body:
1. OEKO-TEX® Certified Clothing
If you remember just one thing, make it this: Not all “clean” clothes are actually clean.
Companies love to use Greenwashing: the practice of using misleading environmental claims to appear more eco-friendly than they actually are. Many brands slap words like “natural” or “sustainable” on their packages with no independent certification that the product truly is any of those things.
In fact, many of those claims mask the same toxic dyes, finishes, and additives that make polyester so problematic.
That’s why OEKO-TEX® certification matters. Specifically, the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is one of the most rigorous third-party testing systems in the world.
Every certified fabric is tested for over 100 harmful substances, including formaldehyde, PFAS, phthalates, heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors, at concentrations proven to be harmful to human health.
When a garment carries that OEKO-TEX® label, you can be certain that every stitch, every dye, every fiber has passed strict health-based safety checks.
In a landscape full of marketing buzzwords, this certification cuts through the noise.
2. Brands with Transparent Testing + Ingredient Lists
Most fashion labels are under no obligation to disclose textile treatments or finishes. That means unless they voluntarily test and publish their data, you’re left guessing.
Look for brands that go beyond vague promises. Ask yourself:
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Do they explain what’s not in their clothes, like PFAS, flame retardants, or formaldehyde?
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Do they test in accredited labs?
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Do they publish certifications?
If the answer is no, you have to ask: What are they hiding?
Ready to Swap Out Toxic Synthetics for Something Truly Safe?
If learning about polyester’s hidden health risks has you rethinking what’s in your drawer, you’re not alone. But you don’t have to settle vague claims about safety. Choose the brand that proves it to you.
At Vibrant Body Company, all of our products are made from OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Certified Clean™ fabrics, tested for over 100 harmful substances so you can wear them with confidence.
🖤Start with our Certified Clean First Layer™
🏋️♀️Move freely in our Sweat Smart™ Activewear
💫Feel the difference in the EveryWear Bra™
About The Author: Michael Drescher, Founder of Vibrant Body Company.
An unlikely messenger in women’s health, he’s speaking truths the industry has long buried beneath sleek silhouettes at the expense of women’s health. After losing loved ones to cancer, he uncovered the toxic reality of intimate apparel and set out to create a truly health-first alternative. Michael’s work challenges assumptions about who gets to lead wellness conversations, blending radical transparency with science-backed design. He started Vibrant to rewrite the standard, because comfort shouldn’t come with a chemical cost, and health should never be an afterthought.
