Shein customers have been warned after products were found to contain chemicals hundreds of times higher than safe levels

South Korean officials investigated Shein products and said they found some products containing chemicals well above safe limits. The Chinese retail giant’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years, with shoppers able to order and ship clothing, jewelry and other items at a fraction of the cost of other competitors.

Seoul authorities, however, conduct weekly assessments of products sold by Shein, as well as other low-cost retailers such as Temu and AliExpress, to ensure they are all safe. Eight Shein products were selected in the latest round of testing, including children’s shoes, leather bags and a belt, Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The results showed that some items contained high levels of chemicals used to soften plastics.

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The Seoul government revealed that one pair of shoes contained 428 times the permitted level of phthalates, the highest level in an investigation so far.

Phthalates are “commonly used” chemicals in cosmetics and other products that increase the durability of plastics.

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A 2021 study found that “chronic exposure to phthalates will have an adverse impact on the endocrine system and the functioning of many organs, which has a negative long-term impact on pregnancy success, child growth and development, and the reproductive system of both young children and adolescents.” .

An investigation in Seoul found that three bags contained phthalates 153 times the safe limit.

Investigators demanded that Shein immediately withdraw the items from sale. So far, they have tested 93 products from online stores and almost half of them contained toxic substances.

Yahoo Finance has reached out to Shein for comment.

The story continues

The Singapore-based company issued a statement to AFP saying it takes security “very seriously.”

“Our suppliers are committed to complying with the controls and standards we have put in place, and we work closely with international third-party testing agencies… to conduct regular testing to ensure suppliers comply with our product safety standards,” a spokesperson explained.

“Once we become aware of any claims against our products, we immediately remove them from our site as an precautionary measure while we investigate.”

A spokesman said Shein conducted more than 400,000 chemical safety tests in just one year.

Shein’s meteoric rise

According to Wall Street Journalin 2022, the company achieved as much as $23 billion in revenue and $800 million in net profit. This was the same year it became the world’s largest clothing retailer.

It has over 3,000 suppliers and offers approximately 1.5 million different clothing items for sale.

It is extremely popular in Australia.

Roy Morgan data shows that approximately 770,000 people shop at Shein every month. While that’s impressive, it pales in comparison to the 1.2 million people ordering from rival brand Temu.

“The number of people shopping on these platforms is quite extraordinary,” said Michele Levine, chief executive of Roy Morgan.

“When we first thought about measuring them, I actually thought they would be too small to lift. How wrong I was – and I think many retailers in the country are shocked by their size.”

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