Carcinogens found in lingerie sold on e-commerce site Shein

SEOUL, July 18 (AJU PRESS) — Korean authorities have discovered a carcinogen in women’s underwear sold on Shein, a popular Chinese e-commerce platform. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the underwear contained arylamine, a known carcinogen, at levels nearly three times higher than Korean safety standards.

The study, conducted from June 11 to July 11, covered 330 items including clothing, cosmetics, food containers and hygiene products sold on Chinese platforms Shein, Temu and AliExpress. Women’s underwear from Shein contained 87.9 mg of arylamine per kg, far exceeding the Korean limit of 30 mg per kg.

In addition, 14 cosmetic products were found to contain bacteria exceeding Korean standards, with some testing positive for Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogenic bacterium. Nail products from Ali and Shein contained nickel and dioxane at levels up to 97.4 and 1.6 times higher than Korean limits, respectively.

“Given that carcinogens and ingredients of safety concern have been detected in underwear, cosmetics and food containers that come into direct contact with skin, special caution should be exercised when purchasing these products,” said Kim Tae-hee, head of the Civil Health Office of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The city plans to file a motion to halt sales of 20 problematic products through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and relevant online platforms.