Both Shein and Temu have established themselves as major players in the European online market for low-cost goods. While both companies have grown in popularity in recent years, reports on product safety have highlighted the dangers of products failing to meet EU standards.
The three consumer organisations, including Belgium’s Test-Achats, examined 162 products, 81 from each retailer, ranging from USB chargers to children’s toys and jewellery. The products were subjected to different tests depending on their category. USB chargers and toys were checked for European standard markings and tested for mechanical and electrical safety. Additionally, toys underwent chemical safety tests.
Toys proved to be the most problematic category: over half failed the mechanical tests. Many contained small and detachable parts becoming choking hazards, while others had hazardous shapes, loud speakers, and dangerous chemicals that could risk causing further injuries. None of Shein’s toys passed, while only one toy from Temu showed no defect.
USB chargers didn’t fare much better. Most showed issues ranging from overheating to fragile casings that risked exposing internal components.
While most jewellery passed the tests, five items, all from Shein, proved to be particularly dangerous. Metal jewellery was analysed for cadmium, nickel, and lead. Three contained extremely high levels of cadmium, with one exceeding the European limit by up to 8.500 times, while two others surpassed the legal nickel limit.
Both metals can cause serious long-term health problems: cadmium increases the risk of cancer and genetic damage, while lead can lead to irreversible neurological harm and impair child development.
In response to the consumer agency’s findings, Shein and Temu removed the offending items with varying degrees of efficiency. Temu now lists recalled items on their website, making them easily accessible to consumers. Shein, on the other hand, doesn’t. Currently there are 110 products on Temu’s recall list, about half of which are children’s toys.
According to the European Commission, the number of parcels valued under €150 imported into the EU doubled between 2023 and 2024, reaching a staggering 4.6 billion shipments, 91% of which originated from China. As Europeans increasingly turn to cheap online imports, what we think we’re buying isn’t always what we receive.
Test-Achats urges consumers to stay vigilant, pay attention to product quality, and return any item they suspect does not meet European safety standards.
If you believe you’ve received a non-compliant or unsafe product, you can report it through ILNAS’s quality portal.
Update:
Following publication, a Shein spokesperson reached out to RTL to share a statement reaffirming the company’s commitment to “offering safe and reliable products to customers.” The company said that “all products tested were offered for sale on the Shein Marketplace by independent third-party vendors.”
The spokesperson added that Shein is taking steps to prevent non-compliant items from being listed on its site. However, Test-Achat’s report underlines that Shein’s hyper-fast-fashion model – releasing up to 4,000 new products each week – makes it difficult to verify whether all items meet EU product safety standards.
