Most athletic wear contains harmful chemicals like PFAS and BPA that absorb through your skin, especially when you sweat.
You already read food labels. You’ve switched to clean beauty products. But if your athletic wear isn’t clean, you’re still exposed. Many top workout brands use toxic chemicals to boost stretch, wick sweat, and resist stains.
These additives may be absorbed into your skin during workouts. Vibrant Body Company created a Certified Clean alternative that performs without compromising your health.
This article breaks down what to avoid, what to wear, and how to make the clean switch. Let’s dig in.
Key Points
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Most activewear is treated with harmful chemicals like PFAS, BPA, and formaldehyde, which are absorbed through your skin, especially during sweat-heavy workouts. These toxins have been linked to hormonal disruption, infertility, and increased cancer risk.
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Marketing buzzwords like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” don’t mean your gear is safe. The only way to verify clean, skin-safe clothing is through third-party certifications like OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.
- Vibrant Body Company offers Certified Clean activewear that supports your body’s health without sacrificing comfort or performance. The Sweat Smart line is designed for movement, lymphatic flow, and peace of mind; made with fabrics tested to be free from harmful levels of chemicals.
When Performance Comes At A Price: The Risks In Athletic Wear
I didn’t plan to launch a women’s wellness company. But after losing people I loved to breast cancer, I started looking at the everyday products women use, especially what they wear. What I found shocked me.
Most athletic wear, including leggings and sports bras, is treated with chemicals that are linked to hormone disruption, infertility, and even cancer. And yet, they’re marketed as high-performance essentials.
The U.S. bans just 40 chemicals in textiles. Europe bans over 1,000. That means your go-to workout gear can legally contain:
- PFAS (“forever chemicals” used in water- and stain-resistant finishes)
- BPA (linked to hormone disruption and cancer)
- Phthalates (commonly found in flexible plastics and finishes)
- Azo dyes (some forms release carcinogenic amines)
- Formaldehyde (used in wrinkle-free or antimicrobial coatings)
And these toxins don’t just sit on the surface. They absorb into your body, especially when you’re sweating, generating heat, and moving.
Skin is your body’s largest organ, and during a workout, it becomes an open gateway. What touches your skin in those moments doesn’t just stay on it. It goes in.
That’s why it’s not just about what your gear does. It’s about what it leaves behind.
Don’t Sweat In That: How To Spot Toxic Fitness Fabrics
Think your leggings are just helping you sweat it out? Think again. Many workout clothes are laced with hidden chemicals, PFAS, phthalates, and formaldehyde, that can seep into your skin as you move.
Here’s how to spot the red flags in your fitness fabrics before they mess with your health.
Labels & Buzzwords To Question
The most dangerous part of activewear isn’t always PFAS, it’s the marketing. Words like “sustainable,” “eco-friendly,” and “natural” are often unregulated and misleading.
Recycled plastic can still leach chemicals into your skin. Don’t trust the label, trust the testing.
Ask for proof:
- Is it OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified?
- Has every part (dye, elastic, thread) been tested? If they can’t show you third-party results, walk away.
What To Avoid In Fabric & Finish
Fabric red flags: Polyester and nylon, especially recycled, often carry plasticizers and additives that leach microplastics into your skin and the water system.
Finishing tricks:
- “Moisture-wicking” often means PFAS
- “Wrinkle-free” or “odor-resistant” usually means formaldehyde or triclosan
If your gear repels water, resists stains, and dries impossibly fast, it’s likely coated in chemicals.
Shopping For Activewear? Don’t Skip These 4 Clean Checks
After years of digging into this industry, talking to chemical safety experts, textile engineers, and some very disillusioned insiders, I’ve learned that “clean” isn’t about marketing.
It’s about measurable, certifiable safety. If you're serious about finding non-toxic athletic wear, here’s the checklist I personally live by, and built Vibrant on.
1. Look For Third-Party Certifications.
These aren’t just logos, they’re proof. OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, for example, tests for over 100 harmful substances at levels known to affect human health.
And they don’t just test fabric, they test everything, from thread to trim. No guesswork. No greenwashing.
2. Avoid Vague Claims, Demand Transparency In Material + Dye Testing.
If a brand says “clean,” “safe,” or “eco,” ask: Tested by whom? Certified by what? Transparency means more than a nice mission statement, it means full ingredient lists and test results available by request.
If they won’t show you what’s under the hood, don’t get in the car.
3. Choose Natural Fabrics Blended With Small Amounts Of Elastane If Needed.
Pure cotton or modal can be ideal, but performance sometimes requires a little give.
A safe 5–10% blend with elastane or spandex can be okay, as long as it’s part of a tested, certified clean system. It’s not about perfection. It’s about reducing your exposure where it matters most.
4. Prioritize Brands That Test Every Component, Including Dyes And Threads.
Even if the base fabric is organic, toxic dyes or antimicrobial coatings can sabotage it. Many brands stop short of testing these invisible layers. But you wear all of it, so all of it matters.
Seek brands that certify the full garment, not just the fabric roll.
Finally, Workout Clothes That Put Your Health First: The Sweat Smart Collection
When I started Vibrant Body Company, I wasn’t chasing a trend, I was answering a question that haunted me: What if the very clothes we wear closest to our bodies are quietly harming us?
After losing several loved ones to cancer and uncovering the disturbing lack of regulation in women’s apparel, especially intimate wear, I knew I couldn’t stay silent.
Most people don’t realize this, but what you wear on your body, especially during workouts when your skin is open, hot, and absorbing, is just as critical as what you eat, drink, or breathe.
That’s why Vibrant doesn’t make “fitness wear.” We make health wear.
Vibrant is the first Certified Clean First Layer in the U.S., rigorously tested to be free from harmful levels of over 100 known toxins. That includes the usual suspects like PFAS, BPA, formaldehyde, and flame retardants, plus the chemicals hiding in dyes, threads, elastic, and coatings.
And we go a step further. We’ve removed underwires to support lymphatic health. We’ve earned utility patents for our ergonomic bra construction.
And we’ve built performancewear that doesn’t force you to choose between comfort, safety, or style.
Because this isn’t about trends. It’s about transformation.
The Sweat Smart Series: Activewear That Works With Your Body, Not Against It
You asked for activewear that fits like a dream, breathes like cotton, and performs without poisoning your pores. So we built it.
The Sweat Smart Series is designed for movement, comfort, and safety, made from Certified Clean materials and rigorously tested for harmful levels of over 100 known toxins.
Endure Leggings
These high-rise, ultra-soft leggings offer clean compression that moves with you, not against you. They're breathable, OEKO-TEX® certified, and made without harmful chemical finishes.
Whether you're in a yoga flow or grocery line, they hold their shape (and yours) without suffocating your skin.
Ignite Sports Bra
A wireless, ergonomic game-changer. The Ignite Bra delivers full support without sacrificing lymphatic flow, because you shouldn’t have to trade health for performance.
With our patented construction and all-day comfort, it’s support that feels as good as it looks.
Sprint Bike Short
Made for movement and built to breathe, these sleek, minimalist shorts are perfect for hot workouts, long walks, or just not wanting leggings that day.
Certified Clean and OEKO-TEX® tested for your skin’s peace of mind.
Not Sure What To Believe About “Clean” Workout Clothes? Read This
If you're like most people discovering this issue for the first time, the questions come fast, and they’re valid. So let’s talk, human to human.
Here are a few I hear all the time, along with honest answers I stand behind as the founder of a company built on truth, not trend.
Can I Sweat In Non-Toxic Workout Clothes Without Ruining Them?
Yes, if they’re built right.
Our Sweat Smart fabric is engineered to handle heat, movement, and repeated wash cycles. We designed it to perform under pressure without leaching toxins, because that’s exactly when your body is most vulnerable to chemical absorption.
Are Brands Required To Disclose What Chemicals They Use?
Unfortunately, no. Most brands aren’t legally obligated to list textile chemicals, dyes, or finishes.
That’s why third-party certifications like OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 are critical, they verify that the final garment (not just the fabric roll) is tested for over 100 harmful substances.
What If I Already Bought ‘Eco’ Leggings?
If your current gear is labeled “eco-friendly” but doesn’t provide certified testing data, it may still contain PFAS, antimicrobial coatings, or toxic dyes.
Look up the brand’s transparency page, if there isn’t one, it may be time to phase those pieces out.
Why Is It So Hard To Find Non-Toxic Gear That Actually Fits And Flatters?
Because no one was building it with your body’s health as the blueprint. That’s exactly why we created Sweat Smart, to prove that comfort, function, and clean can finally coexist.
So whether you’re deep in a yoga flow, heading to brunch, or just looking for something your skin can trust, this is gear that doesn’t just look good.
If You Care About What Goes In Your Body, Start Caring About What Goes On It
If you’ve switched to clean beauty, filtered your water, and started reading ingredient labels, you’re already tuned into your health. But most people miss one major source of toxic exposure: your clothes, especially during workouts.
When you’re sweating, your skin is warm and your pores are wide open, exactly when synthetic fabrics laced with PFAS, flame retardants, and antimicrobial agents can do the most damage.
That’s not detox. That’s backward.
That’s why I created Vibrant. For the women I love, and the millions I’ll never meet. No one was talking about lymphatic health, skin as a gateway, or how athletic wear ignores a woman’s biology.
But now you know. And now, you have a choice. Vibrant is your Certified Clean First Layer, built to support clean living, vibrant longevity, and real peace of mind. It’s made to move with you, not against you.
Michael’s Solutions for the Clean-Conscious Mover:
- EveryWear Bra (Wireless + Patented Support): Say goodbye to underwire, and hello to lymphatic-friendly support. This patented bra is designed for comfort, mobility, and breast health. It’s clean where it counts, and all-day wearable.
- Sweat Smart Leggings: High-rise, breathable, and engineered with Certified Clean materials. Just soft support that moves with you.
- 60-Day Sweat Smart Challenge: Test us. Sweat in it. Wash it. Live in it. If you're not completely satisfied, return it within 60 days. Because if it's not supporting your health, it's not staying in your drawer.
You’ve already made the choice to live well. Now it’s time to wear well, too.
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 Body Company to rewrite the standard, because comfort shouldn’t come with a chemical cost, and health should never be an afterthought.
