Pulse Performance Insoles vs Evercushion Plus insoles poron red: which is safer?
PowerStep Pulse Performance Insoles is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
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
Puma
Evercushion Plus insoles poron red
PFAS grade
Poor 30/100
Overall grade
Bad 10/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 5
Material
Poron foam (polyurethane-based cushioning)
Confidence
35%
PossiblePolyurethane foam degradation and off-gassing
PossibleAzo dyes and colorant leachability
PossibleFlame retardant additives (undisclosed)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes in fabric blend and Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing on the Powerstep and not on the Puma.
- We flag Polyurethane foam degradation and off-gassing, Azo dyes and colorant leachability, Flame retardant additives (undisclosed) and Moisture retention and microbial growth on the Puma and not on the Powerstep.
- The Powerstep is EVA foam, gel, fabric blend where the Puma is Poron foam (polyurethane-based cushioning), 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 Puma 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