Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes vs Men's Saucony Peregrine 16 GTX: which is safer?
New Balance Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
New Balance
Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 57/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes and color-based toxins
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Saucony
Men's Saucony Peregrine 16 GTX
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 5
Material
textile upper with GTX (Teflon-type coating-based) waterproof membrane
Confidence
65%
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (dyes and finishes)
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes and color-based toxins on the New Balance and not on the Saucony.
- We flag Formaldehyde resins (dyes and finishes), Azo dyes, PTFE fume risk from membrane degradation and Adhesive and glue residues on the Saucony and not on the New Balance.
- Both carry a flag for Antimony in polyester, so neither choice avoids it.
- The New Balance is Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole where the Saucony is textile upper with GTX (PTFE-based) waterproof membrane, 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 New Balance is the one to buy.
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 →
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