The 8 Best Underwear for Women, Tested by a Style Writer

Reported by Women's Health Magazine.

Not all underwear is created equal — and if you've ever spent a full workday adjusting, chafing, or peeling VPL out of your waistband, you already know this. According to Women's Health Magazine, a style writer spent serious time testing the market's most talked-about pairs, and the results are worth knowing before your next underwear drawer overhaul.

For the gym-to-everywhere thong, On Gossamer's Heavenly Stretch Thong came out on top. Its high nylon content makes it exceptionally durable — wash after wash, it holds shape — while a cotton gusset handles moisture-wicking duty. It's seamless enough to disappear under compression leggings, stays put through burpees, and comes in XS–XL with enough stretch to accommodate beyond that range. The catch: color options are limited to black and tan. If you want a budget-friendly everyday alternative, the Amazon Essentials Cotton Bikini Brief six-pack clocks in under $15 and holds up through repeated washes without shrinking or losing softness — a genuinely rare quality at that price point.

Coverage, Comfort, and the Case for Period Underwear

For full-coverage days, Parade's The Original Brief — made from Tencel modal, described as twice as soft as cotton — earns its place. It's seamless under denim, sizes run XS to 4XL, and there are over 100 color and pattern options. If you want organic credentials, Quince's Organic Cotton Bikini Panty in 100% Supima cotton is virtually seamless and disappears under tight fits, though pure cotton dries slower, making it better suited for everyday wear than high-intensity sweat sessions. For moisture-wicking performance specifically, the Spanx Fit-To-You Thong (sold in a three-pack) delivers light compression, no elastic digging, and a "one size fits most" construction that actually lives up to the claim. Then there's the category most women overlook until they need it: period underwear. Knix's Super Leakproof Bikini absorbs up to eight teaspoons of fluid — blood, sweat, or urine — in a design thin enough to wear under sheer fabric without bulk. Finally, for something softer and more relaxed, SKIMS' Fits Everybody Dipped Front Thong has a buttery, cotton-like feel despite its polyester content, a low-front cut that won't peek over low-rise waistbands, and zero dig-in — ideal for denim or tailored trousers, less so for sculpted leggings.

The bottom line: the right pair of underwear isn't a luxury — it's the unglamorous foundation that makes everything else you wear actually work.

Read the original at Women's Health Magazine.