Cushion Support Shoe Insole Replacement 11.5-12 vs Pulse Performance Insoles: which is safer?
PowerStep Pulse Performance Insoles is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Brooks
Cushion Support Shoe Insole Replacement 11.5-12
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in foam adhesives
ReportedMicroplastics and foam degradation shedding
PossibleVolatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing
Our pick
Powerstep
Pulse Performance Insoles
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes in fabric blend
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Formaldehyde resins in foam adhesives, Microplastics and foam degradation shedding and Volatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing on the Brooks and not on the Powerstep.
- We flag Azo dyes in fabric blend and Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing on the Powerstep and not on the Brooks.
- The Brooks is foam insole, likely EVA or polyurethane foam where the Powerstep is EVA foam, gel, fabric blend, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More synthetic athletic insoles & orthotics: see the full ranking