Women’s accessories sold by some of the world’s most popular online shopping companies contained toxic substances sometimes hundreds of times above acceptable levels, authorities in Seoul said Wednesday.
Chinese giants including Shein, Temu and AliExpress have exploded in popularity around the world in recent years, offering a huge selection of trendy clothes and accessories at amazingly low prices.
The explosive growth has led to increased scrutiny of their business practices and security standards, including in the European Union and South Korea, where Seoul officials have been conducting weekly inspections of items sold from online platforms.
In the most recent inspection, 144 products from Shein, AliExpress and Temu were tested, and many products from all companies did not meet legal standards.
The shoes from Shein were found to contain significantly high levels of phthalates — chemicals used to make plastics more flexible — with one pair 229 times the legal limit.
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“Phthalate-based plasticizers affect reproductive functions, such as reducing sperm count, and can cause infertility and even premature birth,” an official from Seoul’s environmental health group told AFP.
Such a chemical “has been classified as a human carcinogen by the International Cancer Institute, so special care should be taken to avoid long-term contact with the human body,” they added.
Formaldehyde, a chemical commonly used in building products, was detected in Shein’s caps at twice the legal limit.
Two bottles of nail polish from Shein were found to have dioxane — a possible human carcinogen that can cause liver poisoning — at levels more than 3.6 times the legal limit and methanol concentrations 1.4 times the legal limit .
Shein told AFP that they “work closely with international third-party testing organizations… to regularly conduct risk-based sample testing to ensure that products provided by suppliers meet Shein’s product safety standards.”
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“Our suppliers must comply with the controls and standards we have put in place, as well as the product safety laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate,” the company added.
Seoul authorities found that the sandals from Temu contained lead in the soles at levels more than 11 times the legal limit.
Temu did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Seoul officials requested the products be removed from sale, according to a government statement.
“Products that exceed the legal limit are products that come into direct contact with the body, such as leather sandals and hats, so citizens should pay special attention,” said Kim Tae-hee, an official in the capital.
“The Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue to periodically conduct safety tests and disclose the results.”
In April, the European Union added Shein to its list of digital companies big enough to be subject to stricter security rules — including measures to protect customers from unsafe products, especially those that could be harmful to minors.
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Shein and Temu followed Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba in challenging Amazon, specifically by making inroads into the US market.
Source: AFP