Shein Under Fire: Facing Scrutiny in Brussels for Alleged “Unsafe” Products

Shein will give explanations to MEPs. On January 27th, representatives of the Asian group of ultra-fast fashion will appear before the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (Imco, for its acronym in English) of the European Parliament to address the proliferation of “illegal and unsafe” products sold through online platforms.s) of the European Parliament to address the proliferation of “illegal and unsafe” products sold through online platforms, according to the body in a note.

Although this is the third time that the European Parliament has invited Shein to appear before the Imco, it will be the first time that the company has actually attended a session of the body. The previous invitations, issued in the framework of the debates on the online sale of illegal and unsafe products, did not materialize due to the absence of the company, which has now agreed to sit before the MEPs after several months of pressure from Brussels.

Shein’s absence, an unacceptable “contempt”

Shein’s refusal to attend previous hearings has already caused friction with the European Parliament. At a hearing held at the end of 2025 on the sale of illegal products online, to which the company was invited but did not attend, several MEPs described its absence as “contempt” for the European Parliament, according to Brussels Signal.

The president of the Imco committee, Anna Cavazzini, has welcomed the confirmation of the appearance, although she has been blunt in her assessment. “Complying with European legislation is not optional if you want to operate in the single market,“ she said. Cavazzini has pointed out that this principle also applies to e-commerce platforms “such as Shein, which flood the market with unsafe and illegal products following a business model that systematically violates EU law.“

During the January session, MEPs will analyze both the conduct of large digital platforms and the effectiveness of the control and sanction mechanisms deployed by the European Commission, whose representatives will also participate in the debate. The hearing also comes against a backdrop of increasing public scrutiny of Shein, following several recent controversies related to the security of its products and its operating model.

The scandal involving the sale of child-like sex dolls and weapons in France highlighted failures in EU control and prevention mechanisms.

Regulatory pressure on non-European marketplaces

Shein’s intervention is part of a broader offensive by the European Parliament against the online sale of illegal products from non-EU marketplaces. Last November 26, the European Parliament passed a resolution to tackle this problem, explicitly targeting platforms such as Shein, Temu, AliExpress or Wish.

“The resolution was prompted in response to the scandal in France over the marketing of child-like sex dolls and weapons over the internet,“ the European Parliament’s statement assures. “It has highlighted structural failures in the platforms’ control systems, as well as the lack of effective preventive mechanisms,“ it adds.

The Internal Market Committee holds regular discussions on these challenges, at a time when the European Union is tightening its regulatory framework to ensure consumer safety and fair competition in the e-commerce and fashion sector.