Are Crocs Shoes Safe?

April 7, 2008 by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from Barbara

My kids love these plastic shoes and even Wholefoods is selling them. But the more I think about Crocs the more concerned I get. My daughter wore them a lot last summer and her skin on the soles of her feet starting peeling off. Is there any hazardous connection with wearing crocks, or cheaper similar products? Debra? Readers? 

Debra's Answer

I went to the crocs website at www.crocs.com and found that there was no information on the material the shoes are made from, except to say that it is a "closed-cell resin." I called their Customer Service and was told the material was "propriatary."

I'm going to assume it is some kind of plastic made from crude oil, since if it was something else, they would probably say so.

Sorry I can't tell you what type of plastic this is, but in general, plastic is nonrenewable, not biodegradable, and often toxic.

The fact that the skin on your daughter's feet is peeling would indicate to me not to wear them.