{"id":811813,"date":"2025-02-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=811813"},"modified":"2025-02-18T06:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T04:23:38","slug":"warning-to-south-africans-who-buy-products-from-shein-and-temu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/technology\/811813\/warning-to-south-africans-who-buy-products-from-shein-and-temu\/","title":{"rendered":"Warning to South Africans who buy products from Shein and Temu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

International regulators have warned that Temu and Shein are selling harmful products, including cosmetics, children\u2019s toys, and household goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temu and Shein have gained significant traction in South Africa, attracting many shoppers by offering cheap products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent survey showed that one in three South African online shoppers have used the platform, and nearly 40% have become active monthly users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than three-quarters say they would recommend the platform to friends and family, which bodes well for its growth in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temu’s growth has been so significant that Buffalo International Logistics, which handles Temu and Shein shipments, has reported delays due to the overwhelming volumes last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data from Sensor Tower shows that Temu\u2019s app downloads in South Africa ranged from 72,000 to 551,000 per week in the third quarter of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this period, active users nearly doubled from around 788,000 in mid-August to almost 1.8 million by the end of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the rapid rise of these online marketplaces signals their widespread appeal, there are growing concerns about product safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports from European regulators highlight that Temu and Shein have been selling hazardous products to their clients globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These products include carcinogen-containing shoes, lingerie, nail polish, flammable children\u2019s sleepwear, toxic slime, and dangerous toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A report released<\/a><\/strong> by the European consumer advocacy group BEUC in February 2025 details the alarming results of a 15-month investigation into Temu\u2019s product safety standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study conducted by members in Denmark, Italy, and the UK found severe safety violations in a range of items, including cosmetics, children\u2019s toys, and household goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems included easily detachable small parts in children\u2019s products, posing a choking hazard, and missing or incorrect ingredient lists in cosmetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dangerous electric heaters, some of which may be illegal in the European Union, were also identified in the online marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the report found that several cheap plastic toys contained hormone-disrupting phthalates at levels up to 240 times the legal limit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine products contained fluorine levels indicating the presence of PFAS, which are banned in Denmark due to their harmful effects on human health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five other products exceeded permitted fluorine levels by 10 to 50 times the limit for paper and cardboard in direct contact with food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists have linked PFAS exposure to increased cancer risks, immune system dysfunction, and other health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further concerns about Temu and Shein product safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Concerns over the safety of Temu and Shein products are not limited to Europe. The United States has also highlighted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 68,000 sets of children\u2019s sleepwear from Temu last year due to fire hazards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malta\u2019s Consumer Council ordered the removal of five types of children\u2019s shoes from Temu and Shein after finding high levels of cadmium, lead, phthalates, and paraffin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Cancer Institute has classified phthalates as carcinogenic, advising that prolonged human exposure should be avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korean authorities have also raised red flags. In November 2024, they found seven out of 26 children\u2019s winter clothing products sold on these platforms contained dangerously high toxin levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One jacket contained phthalates 622 times over South Korea\u2019s legal limit, while a sweatshirt exceeded the limit by 294 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, two bottles of nail polish contained high levels of dioxane, a chemical linked to liver damage and cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seoul\u2019s regulators also discovered that Shein\u2019s underwear contained more than three times the allowable level of substances associated with bladder cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temu response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite these alarming findings, Temu, operated by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, has defended its product safety measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to BusinessTech, a Temu spokesperson emphasised that the company takes product safety very seriously and has strict quality control measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company claims to implement seller vetting, product inspections, continuous monitoring, and rapid responses to complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temu also collaborates with global testing and certification firms, including T\u00dcV S\u00dcD, T\u00dcV Rheinland Group, SGS, and Bureau Veritas Group, to ensure third-party sellers meet required standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company insists that these measures allow Temu customers to shop with confidence and peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with mounting evidence of hazardous products being sold through the platform, regulatory bodies worldwide are calling for stricter oversight and accountability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International regulators have warned that Temu and Shein are selling harmful products, and South Africans should take note. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":812116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9878],"tags":[21729,21730,20059,853,19401,21731],"class_list":["post-811813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-beuc","tag-consumer-product-safety-commission","tag-shein","tag-south-africa","tag-temu","tag-the-international-cancer-institute"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811813"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":812119,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811813\/revisions\/812119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/812116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}