Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a consumer-protection investigation into whether children’s underwear sold by Hanes and Fruit of the Loom contains harmful chemicals.
The attorney general issued civil investigative demands to both companies. Those demands can require records and answers while the state assesses whether there is a basis for enforcement. They are not a complaint, and the announcement does not establish that either company used a prohibited substance or misled consumers.
The inquiry focuses on materials and treatments used in synthetic clothing. The state identified possible concerns involving bisphenols, phthalates, PFAS, parabens, fluorine and microplastics, particularly where fabric remains in prolonged contact with a child’s skin. It did not disclose product tests, concentrations or a legal threshold that it believes has been exceeded.
That gap is central to what comes next. “Chemical” is not itself a legal category of harm, and the presence of a substance does not necessarily show unlawful exposure. Texas will need evidence connecting particular products to particular compounds, then a legal theory under state consumer-protection or product-safety law. The companies, in turn, may contest the testing method, the level of exposure or the state’s authority.
The investigation arrives as regulators and plaintiffs increasingly examine the chemistry of everyday textiles rather than only food, cosmetics and industrial goods. Children’s products attract special scrutiny because exposure may be repeated and because purchasers cannot readily identify manufacturing treatments from a label.
For now, the matter remains an investigation. No recall, sales ban or civil penalty has been announced, and consumers have not been told that a specific item is unsafe. The civil demands give Texas a route to obtain internal specifications, supplier records, testing data and marketing material before deciding whether to close the inquiry or file a case.
Official Texas attorney general announcement
