Consumer organizations warn that sunscreens sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms often contain harmful ingredients and fail to provide promised UV protection [1].
These findings suggest a significant safety gap for European consumers who rely on these products to prevent skin damage and cancer. Because these platforms operate across borders, the products may bypass the rigorous safety screenings required for goods sold in physical European stores.
Que Choisir Ensemble and Testachats conducted separate investigations into products sold via Temu, AliExpress, and Shein [1], [2]. Que Choisir Ensemble tested 10 sunscreens [1], while Testachats purchased and tested 15 products [2]. Both groups reported that the majority of the items did not comply with European Union safety and conformity regulations [1], [4].
Testing revealed that many of the products contained harmful or prohibited ingredients [1]. Furthermore, the actual sun protection factor (SPF) in many tubes was found to be nearly nonexistent [1]. A spokesperson for Que Choisir Ensemble said, "The majority simply do not provide the promised sun protection" [3].
Only one sunscreen that claimed an SPF of 50 or higher achieved results that were considered acceptable [4]. The consumer groups said the overall findings were a combination of "nearly nonexistent protections and harmful ingredients" [1].
These alerts were published on July 8 [1], [4], as part of a broader effort to warn the public about the risks of purchasing unregulated health and beauty products from these specific online marketplaces.
“The majority simply do not provide the promised sun protection”
This situation highlights the regulatory challenges posed by 'direct-to-consumer' shipping from overseas platforms. While EU retailers must ensure products meet strict safety standards before they hit the shelves, items shipped directly from China to an individual's home often evade these checks. For consumers, this creates a hidden risk where a product's label may claim high protection, but the chemical composition is either ineffective or toxic.
