Harmful ingredients or virtually no sun protection: French consumer group Que Choisir Ensemble has raised concerns over sunscreens sold on the online marketplaces Temu, AliExpress, and Shein.

The consumer advocacy group, which tested ten sunscreens recently purchased on these platforms, found that none met its safety and efficacy expectations.

“The findings are alarming: nine of the ten products tested were found to be non-compliant, with most failing to deliver the sun protection they claim to provide,” the association said in a statement.

“Given these serious shortcomings, which pose a direct risk to consumer health,” Que Choisir Ensemble said it plans to refer the matter to France’s audiovisual and digital regulator and report the cases to DGCCRF, the country’s official body in charge of competition, consumer affairs and fraud control.

Among the sunscreens tested, three were immediately deemed non-compliant due to the presence of an ingredient banned from sale in the European Union since May 1. Of the remaining seven products, “six fail to provide the level of protection indicated by their SPF claims,” while four “offer no effective UV protection at all,” the association said.

Ultimately, only one of the ten products tested was found to deliver the sun protection it promised. However, it contains an ingredient suspected of interfering with estrogen activity and thyroid function, according to the statement.

The association said it had alerted the platforms, which subsequently removed the sunscreens concerned. However, “these findings confirm that they do not adequately verify the compliance of the products they sell,” Que Choisir Ensemble said.

Furthermore, “there is no guarantee that these products will not reappear under a different brand name, as they are products with no traceability,” Cyrille Cormier, the association’s advocacy director, told AFP.

Chinese online marketplaces have repeatedly come under scrutiny over the safety and compliance of some products sold on their platforms. In late May, the European Union fined Temu EUR 200 million for failing to prevent the sale of illegal products, including unsafe baby toys. AliExpress and Shein are also facing increased regulatory scrutiny from Brussels.