20 Best Underwear for Women, Including Our Favorite Cotton Thong

The best underwear for women can be one of the biggest tone-setters of your day. The wrong pair can ride up, dig in, or show through, while the right one can help you feel more comfortable and confident. To find the pairs worth wearing, Glamour editors tested dozens of styles, including seamless thongs that disappear under leggings and clingy dresses; high-waisted, tummy-control briefs; and moisture-wicking cotton underwear. Trust us—not all are created equal. Below, you’ll find the standout styles that consistently impressed our testers. Whether you prefer barely-there thongs or the full-coverage comfort of a boxer brief, these are the pairs that earned a spot in our drawers. Let’s get into it.

• Best Cotton Underwear: Amazon Essentials Cotton Bikini Underwear (6-Pack), $10
• Best Tummy-Control Underwear: Spanx SpanxShape ExtraOrdinary Brief, $28
• Best Seamless Underwear: Under Armour Pure Stretch No-Show Underwear (3-Pack), $32
• Best Sex Lingerie: Hanky Panky Signature Low-Rise Thong, $24
• Best Plus-Size Underwear: Shapermint Truekind Seamless Stretch Mid-Waist Brief, $16

Best cotton underwear for women

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Cotton underwear is a staple for everyday wear thanks to its softness and breathability—a major plus during hot weather, sweaty workouts, and for overall vaginal health. “Cotton helps keep moisture away from the body and eliminates targeted heat,” says Monica Grover, MD, an ob-gyn and chief medical officer at medi-spa Vspot. These are some of the best pairs we’ve tested, including Amazon Essentials’s bikini undie multipack, which cost less than $3 a pair, are tag-free, and come in a wide range of colors and patterns. If you’re willing to spend a little more, Natori’s cult-favorite French-cut panties stand out for their silky-soft feel, delicate lace trim, and layered leg openings that won’t dig in.

Best tummy-control underwear

The right tummy-control underwear smooths and supports your midsection under clothing—without the squeeze of a full bodysuit or corset. Our favorite pairs range from stretchy, high-waisted briefs from Quince and Leonisa that provide light shaping to more compressive styles from Spanx and Honeylove for days when you want a more contoured silhouette.

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Spanx SpanxShape ExtraOrdinary Brief

$28

Amazon

$28

Nordstrom

$28

Spanx

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Quince Smoothing Comfort High-Waisted Brief (6-Pack)

$30

Quince

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Leonisa Lace Classic Shaper Panty

$35

Amazon

$35

Leonisa

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Honeylove SuperPower Brief

$84

Nordstrom

$84

Honey Love

Best no-show seamless underwear

Leggings, slip dresses, and tight jeans all have one thing in common: They tend to reveal every seam of thicker panties. That’s where seamless underwear comes in. Designed to sit flat against the skin, these styles (usually thongs) help eliminate visible panty lines while remaining comfortable enough for everyday wear. Alo Yoga and Under Armour make some of the best underwear for workouts that are moisture-wicking but thin enough to disappear under leggings, while Skims’s high-waisted thong stays put and feels like a second skin under dresses.

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Alo Yoga Airbrush Invisible Thong

$28

Alo Yoga

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Anzermix Breathable Cotton Thong Panties (6-Pack)

$10

Amazon

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Skims Naked Bikini

$16

Skims

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Under Armour Pure Stretch No-Show Underwear (3-Pack)

$32

Amazon

Best lingerie undies

Not every pair of panties needs to be purely practical. The styles below come from some of the top lingerie brands for women, ranging from Hanky Panky’s stretchy lace thong to For Love & Lemons’ playful picnic-themed set. They’re proof that underwear can still feel special, whether worn every day or for a special occasion.

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Hanky Panky Signature Low-Rise Thong

$24

Amazon

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Free People Intimately Moonlit Meadow Lace High-Rise Briefs

$24

Free People

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For Love & Lemons Summer Picnic Undies (3-Pack)

$119

Free People

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Victoria’s Secret Cotton Lace-Waist Thong Panty

$13

Victoria’s Secret

Best plus-size underwear

Like plus-size shapewear, finding plus-size underwear can still be surprisingly difficult, particularly when so many brands offer limited size ranges. These styles are available through sizes 3X and 4X and balance stomach support with comfort, using stretchy fabrics and thick waistbands that smooth without feeling restrictive.

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Shapermint Truekind Seamless Stretch Mid-Waist Brief

$16 (38% off)

Shapermint

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SPANXsupersmooth Undie-tectable Supima Cotton Brief

$28

Spanx

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Savage X Fenty Microfiber No-Show Hipster Briefs

$11 (52% off)

Nordstrom

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Skims High Waisted Thong

$18

Skims