Athletic Series Sport Massaging Gel Insoles vs Pulse Performance Insoles: which is safer?

PowerStep Pulse Performance Insoles is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Dr. Scholl's Athletic Series Sport Massaging Gel Insoles

Dr. Scholl's

Athletic Series Sport Massaging Gel Insoles

PFAS grade

Poor 30/100

Overall grade

Bad 8/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Gel compound with synthetic polymers, unspecified coatings

Confidence

35%

PossibleUnspecified polymer coating leaching

PossibleGel degradation and microparticle shedding

ReportedMoisture trapping and bacterial/fungal growth

Our pick

PowerStep Pulse Performance Insoles

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 Unspecified polymer coating leaching, Gel degradation and microparticle shedding, Moisture trapping and bacterial/fungal growth and Thermal instability and off-gassing on the Dr. Scholl's 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 Dr. Scholl's.
  • The Dr. Scholl's is Gel compound with synthetic polymers, unspecified coatings where the Powerstep is EVA foam, gel, fabric blend, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 35 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Powerstep is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Dr. Scholl's grade, at 35% 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