Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs) vs Men's Run Cold Weather Targeted Cushion Crew Socks: which is safer?
PUMA Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs) is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Puma
Women's Quarter Crew Socks (6 Pairs)
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Poor 47/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Cotton/polyester blend socks, no waterproofing
Confidence
82%
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (finishing agents)
ReportedMicroplastic shedding
Smartwool
Men's Run Cold Weather Targeted Cushion Crew Socks
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Merino wool with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
45%
Reportedwater-repellent coating finish chemistry (non-PFAS alternatives unknown)
PossibleElastic and adhesive degradation
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes, Formaldehyde resins (finishing agents) and Microplastic shedding on the Puma and not on the Smartwool.
- We flag DWR finish chemistry (non-PFAS alternatives unknown) and Elastic and adhesive degradation on the Smartwool and not on the Puma.
- The Puma is Cotton/polyester blend socks, no waterproofing where the Smartwool is Merino wool with DWR finish, 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 Puma is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Smartwool grade, at 45% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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 sports performance undergarments, see the full ranking