French consumer group warns sunscreens sold on Chinese E-commerce pose health risks

Sunscreens sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu, Shein and AliExpress offer significantly weaker UV protection than advertised or contain ingredients harmful to health, a French consumer protection group has warned.

The consumer protection association said Wednesday it tested 10 sunscreens sold on those platforms and found that not a single product delivered satisfactory results, according to AFP.

Three of the 10 products were disqualified from the outset because they contained ingredients banned from sale within the EU since May 1, the association said.

Of the remaining seven products, six failed to demonstrate the level of UV protection indicated on their labels, and four provided no UV protection at all, the association said.

Only one of the 10 products performed adequately as a sunscreen, but it contained ingredients identified as disruptors of estrogen and thyroid function.

The association said it raised the issues with the platforms, which subsequently pulled the sunscreens from sale.

The group said the products "directly threaten consumer health" and announced it would report the cases to French regulatory authorities.

Temu, Shein and AliExpress told AFP they had suspended sales of the sunscreens pending a thorough investigation, and said they were either temporarily halting sales of similar products or conducting internal reviews as a precautionary measure.

An association spokesperson cautioned, however, that "there is no guarantee these products will not reappear under different brand names," adding that "these are products that go untracked."