Harmful substances exceeding 2.9 times the domestic standard were found in women’s underwear sold at Chinese online retailers.
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After conducting safety inspections, Seoul City announced on the 18th that harmful substances were found in 21 of 330 products, such as food containers, cosmetics, underwear, and sanitary products sold on AliExpress, Temu, and Shein.
A carcinogenic Arylamine was detected in women’s underwear sold by Shein, exceeding 2.9 times the domestic standard (30mg/kg) at 87.9mg/kg.
Arylamine is a chemical dye used in clothing dyeing. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, under the World Health Organization (WHO), classified it as a carcinogen (Group 1). This is a severe issue as underwear has direct skin contact, exposing carcinogenic arylamine.
Shein has previously sold children’s boots with phthalate plasticizers (DEHP·DBP). Plasticizers were detected at about 680 times the standard in part of the boots. Furthermore, 44 times the standard amount was detected in other parts.
A total of 14 cosmetics were found to exceed or not meet domestic standards. For instance, Staphylococcus aureus was detected in two lipstick products from Ali and Shein. In blushers, Staphylococcus aureus and total aerobic bacteria were found in two products sold by Ali.
Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogenic bacteria banned according to domestic cosmetic safety standards. Once infected, it can cause skin infections such as rash and atopic dermatitis. If the number of aerobic bacteria is high, it can decompose and reduce the product’s effect, shortening its shelf life.
Chinese online products had other significant problems. Two lipsticks, two blushers, and three foundations had volumes less than 7% to 23% of the labeled amount. In addition, four nail products sold by Ali and Shein exceeded the domestic standard of nickel (10μg/g) by up to 97.4 times (974.2μg/g) and exceeded the domestic standard of dioxane (100μg/g) by 1.6 times (167.8μg/g).
Nickel is a metal substance that causes allergic reactions. Exposure to the skin can cause allergic reactions such as swelling, rash, and itching, and long-term exposure can worsen chronic dermatitis and asthma.
Dioxane, a by-product of softening cosmetic ingredients, is a potential human carcinogen (Group 2B) designated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under WHO. It can irritate the respiratory tract and cause eye mucosa.
Cadmium exceeding 97.4 times the domestic standard (0.07mg/L) and lead exceeding 7 times the domestic standard (0.8mg/L) were detected in kitchen products sold by Shein and Ali. Long-term exposure to cadmium can cause osteomalacia, kidney damage, and lung cancer. Lead can impact children’s cognitive development and increase the risk of premature birth in pregnant women.
Directly imported products are a loophole in consumer safety, as they do not go through separate safety procedures. The city plans to ban the problematic products found in this inspection from the Food and Drug Safety Administration, other related agencies, and overseas online platform companies.
Director of Seoul City’s Citizen Health Bureau, Kim Tae Hee, said, “As harmful substances have been detected in underwear, cosmetics, and food containers that come into direct contact with the skin, special caution is needed when purchasing products. We will do our best to prevent further damage through continuous safety inspections.”
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