Do Nike running & athletic shoes have PFAS?
Nike running & athletic shoes average 20 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 4 Nike running & athletic shoes graded as of October 2026, below the 37 out of 100 median for the 20 other running & athletic shoes brands graded alongside it.
Nike running & athletic shoes average Bad on our four-band scale. None of them clear our buy threshold. That is above 18% of the running & athletic shoes brands we grade.
PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Grades are model-based, built from published ingredients, materials, certifications, brand disclosures and third-party lab results where they exist. See the rubric.
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Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
Vegan Mattress
- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
What Nike says and does about PFAS
Nike says it has converted PFAS to cleaner chemistry alternatives as a completed priority project, and says it has met its target to eliminate PFAS in water-repellent finishes. A 2022 NRDC scorecard gave Nike a D+ because its commitment could leave out PFAS polymer membranes, which Nike disputed. A 2023 California Proposition 65 lawsuit alleged PFAS in a Jordan duffle bag, and we found no reported outcome.
- Brand statementNike says on its chemistry page that PFAS is one of its completed priority chemistry conversions to cleaner alternatives as of FY25. NIKE, Inc. ↗
- Brand statementNike told the press in 2022 that it met its target to eliminate PFAS in water-repellent finishes by the end of 2021. Sourcing Journal (WWD) ↗
- StudyThe 2022 NRDC, Fashion FWD and U.S. PIRG Education Fund scorecard gave Nike a D+ because its phase-out commitment could leave out membranes that contain PFAS polymers, as reported by Sourcing Journal. Nike disputed the score. Sourcing Journal (WWD) ↗
- Legal caseIn May 2023 Ecological Alliance sued Nike and Dick's Sporting Goods in California under Proposition 65, alleging a Jordan duffle bag contains PFAS and carried no warning. These are allegations, and we found no reported outcome. EIN Presswire (press release by the plaintiff's attorneys) ↗
- Legal caseTrade press reported the same May 2023 complaint alleges Nike violated Proposition 65 by not warning about PFOA in Jordan duffle bags. The Fashion Law ↗
- Legal caseA law firm investigation into PFAS in Fabletics, Nike and Gymshark leggings was closed in January 2022 with no lawsuit reported on that page. ClassAction.org ↗
Sources checked September 29, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.
Which Nike running & athletic shoes contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
- textile upper with GORE-TEX waterproof membrane
- PFAS, GORE-TEX historically used PFAS-based fluorinated water-repellent coating; Nike has not publicly…
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Mesh, synthetic leather, rubber sole with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
- Azo dyes in mesh and synthetic leather. No specific safety alerts exist for the Vomero 18, but synthetic mesh…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Textile upper with GORE-TEX waterproof membrane
- PFAS, GORE-TEX membranes are documented to contain PFAS or be manufactured using PFAS-based processes. Nike…
5 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- GORE-TEX membrane with unspecified water-repellent coating finish on textile upper
- Azo dyes in textile dyeing. The shoe's colored textile components (upper and lining) may be dyed with azo…
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on AmazonBetter running & athletic shoes from other brands
Graded higher than the Nike average of 20.
- Canvas upper, rubber sole
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Azo dyes in canvas
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Canvas, rubber sole
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Azo dyes and synthetic dyes
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
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- Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Azo dyes and color-based toxins
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Find an alternative on AmazonThe same question, asked of the other running & athletic shoes brands
Best average grade first. Nike averages 20.
See every Nike product we grade on the Nike brand page, or the full running & athletic shoes ranking.