France Urges EU to Regulate Shein and Temu

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

• •The French consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) reported that 75% of products tested from major e-commerce platforms in 2025 failed to meet EU standards, with 46% being both non-compliant and dangerous, focusing on high-risk categories like electrical appliances, children's products, and jewelry.
• •Investigations by European consumer organizations in late 2025 revealed widespread safety failures in products from Shein and Temu, including USB chargers overheating (52 out of 54 failed tests), toys containing banned toxic substances like nonylphenol ethoxylate, and jewelry with dangerously high levels of cadmium (one necklace had 8,500 times the permitted limit).
• •Both Shein and Temu have been designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) in April and May 2024, respectively, due to exceeding 45 million monthly active users in the EU, subjecting them to more stringent obligations for risk mitigation, consumer protection, and transparency.
• •The European Commission initiated formal proceedings against Shein in February 2026, investigating concerns related to its addictive design, lack of transparency in recommender systems, and the sale of illegal products. Temu was preliminarily found in breach of the DSA in July 2025 for failing to adequately assess and mitigate risks associated with illegal products on its platform.
• •Beyond product safety, French authorities have also launched criminal investigations and administrative suspension procedures against Shein in November 2025 following discoveries of alleged child sexual abuse material (child-like sex dolls) and weapons being sold on its platform.

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