Non-Toxic Running Shoes, ranked by PFAS grade

Are running shoes safe?

None of the 83 running shoes we graded come back low-concern on our screen. Our grades are model-based assessments built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, not laboratory tests, so they say what we can evidence rather than that anything is safe.

Best graded running shoes here

1Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C 65 out of 100
2Converse Run Star Trainer 65 out of 100
3New Balance Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes 65 out of 100

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The best non-toxic running & athletic shoes, ranked by grade

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Buyer’s guide

What to look for in running & athletic shoes, and which brands grade best and worst

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Why Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men grades highest here, and why that is not a pass

Every grade on this page is one sum. A category starts from a baseline, each disclosed material or coating adds risk points, and each thing the brand or a third party has published takes them away. Below is that sum for the winner, then for 1 product it beats, so you can see exactly where the 45 points between the top and the bottom of this running & athletic shoes ranking come from. Nothing in this category reaches our 70 point pass mark, so this is the shape of the field rather than a recommendation.

Top graded, and still below our pass mark

65Good

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C

Made of Canvas upper, rubber sole.

+30Category baseline. The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
+15No PFAS disclosure. No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
-10Base material not linked to PFAS. The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.

35risk points in total, which is a grade of 65

What the grade does not fix. It still carries one risk factor, No PFAS disclosure, and our graders recorded 2 other hazards on it. See the full breakdown.

Full breakdown

What it still grades above, and why

20Bad45 points behind the winner

Saucony Men's Saucony Peregrine 16 GTX

What puts it behind. Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment, +35 points. Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS. The top-graded product carries no such factor.

Made of textile upper with GTX (Teflon-type coating-based) waterproof membrane.

+35Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
+30Category baseline
+15No PFAS disclosure

80risk points, a grade of 20

No product on this page was physically tested by us. Every number above comes from published materials, ingredient and coating disclosures, certifications and brand statements, scored on one public rubric. Formulations change without notice, so check the current product listing before buying.

Which running & athletic shoes contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

Converse

Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C

65GoodPFAS grade

Canvas upper, rubber sole
We found no PFAS statement from the brand
Azo dyes in canvas

2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.

Non-Toxic Running Shoes, ranked by PFAS grade

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Are running shoes safe?

Why Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men grades highest here, and why that is not a pass

What it still grades above, and why

Which running & athletic shoes contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

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