Men's Sports & Athletic Shoes Comfort Insoles vs Pulse Performance Insoles: which is safer?
Dr. Scholl's Men's Sports & Athletic Shoes Comfort Insoles is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Dr. Scholl's
Men's Sports & Athletic Shoes Comfort Insoles
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
foam, gel, cushioning polymers
Confidence
72%
PossibleFoam degradation and microparticle shedding
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 Foam degradation and microparticle shedding 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 foam, gel, cushioning polymers 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