Are products from Shein and Temu dangerous?

The European Union’s justice commissioner, Michael McGrath, has expressed serious concern over the safety of products sold through Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu, amid an EU-wide crackdown on unlawful imports, the Guardian reported.

McGrath highlighted that 12 million low-cost packages arrive in the EU daily from non-EU online sellers, many of which reportedly violate EU laws. He awaits results of a secret shopper operation that aims to confirm these suspicions.

Among the most alarming items were baby soothers with beads that easily fall off and lack standard-sized air holes, posing a choking hazard.

Other examples raised by EU lawmakers:
• Children's raincoats with toxic chemicals.
• Sunglasses without UV protection.
• Children's shorts with overlong drawstrings, creating trip hazards.
• Cosmetics containing butylphenyl methylpropional (Lillal), banned in the EU since 2022 due to links to fertility issues and fetal harm.

Safety Gate, the EU’s rapid alert system, recorded 4,137 unsafe product warnings in 2024—more than a third related to cosmetics.

McGrath stressed that this is not just about consumer safety but also about fair competition. “European businesses comply with strict regulations and invest heavily. It’s unfair for them to compete with sellers who ignore our rules,” he said.

EU statistics show 4.6 billion items under €150 entered the bloc in 2024—twice as many as 2023, and triple that of 2022.

In response, the EU is considering:
• Scrapping the €150 duty-free threshold.
• Imposing a handling fee on each parcel.
• Establishing an EU-wide customs authority.

A similar move was taken in the U.S., where Donald Trump signed an order eliminating the $800 duty-free limit. As of June 1, U.S. buyers face a 30% tax or a $50 minimum charge per item.

Shein announced it is investing $15 million in 2025 for compliance and safety, including 2.5 million product tests and the removal of 500 non-compliant vendors. Temu has not commented yet.

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