Women's Glycerin 23 vs Pulse Performance Insoles: which is safer?
PowerStep Pulse Performance Insoles is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Brooks
Women's Glycerin 23
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Knit textile upper with water-repellent coating treatment
Confidence
45%
LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating
PossibleAntimony in polyester fibers
ReportedAdhesive and sole-upper interface degradation
Our pick
Powerstep
Pulse Performance Insoles
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 57/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
EVA foam, gel, fabric blend
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes in fabric blend
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating, Antimony in polyester fibers and Adhesive and sole-upper interface degradation 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 Knit textile upper with DWR treatment where the Powerstep is EVA foam, gel, fabric blend, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Powerstep is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Brooks grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
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