Temu and Shein in the spotlight: Consumer watchdog in Spain warns about 'dangerous' products

Shein and Temu offer outrageously cheap items on their saes platforms: clothes, shoes, make-up, electronics, household goods, beauty products and a long and endless list of other products that can be delivered to anyone's home in a matter of days. European consumer organisations, however, warn that many products don't comply with safety regulations, which poses a threat to the health and safety of those who purchase them.

The warning has been announced also by Spain's consumer organisation (Ocu). After analysing a total of 162 products from Temu and Shein, European authorities have discovered that 112 of them do not comply with EU standards, "making their sale on the European market illegal".

Among the offending items, the OCU listed toys, necklaces and chargers. In its conclusion, the organisation points out that "one in four [items] is dangerous". The best way to avoid such products is to prioritise "European products or items that comply with EU standards".

The seriousness of the issue is highlighted by estimates of the European Commission that show that some 4.6 billion packages (about 12 million a day) entered the EU from China last year, most of them containing low-cost products. This is three times the number of packages delivered in 2022.

The testing was carried out by the international consumer research and testing (ICRT) network in Germany, Belgium, Denmark and France. The 162 products, worth 690 euros in total, were randomly chosen. The list includes USB chargers, baby toys and imitation jewellery. The electrical and mechanical safety of these items, as well as their chemical contents and labelling, were assessed.

The result? 73% of the items bought on Shein and 65% on Temu did not meet EU safety requirements, which is an average of 69% in total. "It is important to note that we did not purposely look for suspicious-looking products. The products chosen were from sellers external to the platform (on Temu all items for sale are from external sellers, but not always on Shein)," the consumer organisation stated.

"The study proves that Chinese vendors do not guarantee the safety standards we are entitled to in the EU. Consumer protection is not ensured on Temu and Shein. Therefore, our recommendation is to avoid buying products on these platforms and to give priority to trusted retailers and products made in Europe or that comply with EU standards," the conclusion states.

The OCU describes the results from the study concerning electronic chargers as "truly alarming", as only two out of 54 adapters met EU standards, while 14 failed due to overheating. "If the heat deforms the plastic casing, it can damage the internal insulation and cause a fire," the Ocu said. Another charger had a very small insulation distance between components.

Mechanical faults were frequently found in the baby toys tested: teething toys, rattles or bath toys. "Several had small parts, stickers or suction cups that were easily detached and could be swallowed, posing a choking hazard, and one of the toys tested had up to 13 small parts that could come off," the OCU said. Three Shein sound toys were too loud, exceeding recommended levels.

Tests carried out on 54 necklaces showed that, in general, "most of the necklaces do not present safety risks, but some products have proven to be hazardous to health". "We measured the content of cadmium and lead in all parts of each necklace, as well as the release of nickel, that is, how much nickel is released through sweat after prolonged contact with the skin. Of the 54 metal necklaces tested, 51 passed the harmful substances test, but three failed due to alarmingly high levels of toxic substances."

Temu and Shein were immediately informed after the results had come out. Both platforms recalled all items within a few days. In addition, Shein warned buyers about some of the products by email.

"Shein takes product safety very seriously and is committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. All products tested were offered for sale on Shein's marketplace by independent third-party sellers," Shein sources told SUR.

The company said that it had immediately started a withdrawal procedure. Two of the products had already been recalled following Shein's internal safety checks. "All our vendors are obliged to comply with Shein's code of conduct and safety standards, as well as the laws and regulations applicable in the markets in which we operate," the company stated.

Shein also works with recognised international product safety and quality assurance agencies, such as Bureau Veritas, Intertek, QIMA, SGS and TÜV SÜD. "When non-compliance is detected, we act immediately to protect our customers, which may include removing the vendor from our platform," Shein said.