A chemical called phthalates, used to soften plastics, far exceeded the health limit in Shin's shoes, and a harmful amount of lead was also found in Timo's sandals, according to an investigation by Seoul authorities. France 24 writesThis follows a report by Agence France-Presse.
According to the report, one pair of Sheen shoes contained 229 times the legal maximum amount of phthalates, which can cause low sperm count, infertility and premature birth in wearers.
As the experts who conducted the test say, one of the phthalate-based compounds has previously been classified as a carcinogen by the International Institute for Cancer Research, so the organization's recommendation is to take special care to avoid long-term contact with the human body.
Seoul authorities also said that hats sold by Shin contained twice the health limit of formaldehyde, and dioxane, a carcinogen that can cause liver poisoning, was found in two tubes of nail polish. Of the latter, 3.6 times the permitted amount was mixed into nail polish, and the concentration of methanol was 1.4 times the acceptable level in the product.
After the report emerged, Shein told AFP that the company is working closely with independent expert organizations that conduct risk-based sample testing to ensure compliance with product assurance standards. They added, by the way, that Shein's suppliers are also obligated to do so.
Lead in Timos sandals
A recent investigation by South Korean authorities also revealed serious irregularities in some Temu products. The soles of the sandals included in the offer were found to contain lead at 11 times the permitted limit.
Timo said that after receiving the report, they immediately launched an internal investigation to investigate the matter, removed the problematic products from the lineup, and promised to improve safety instructions for merchant partners so that this kind of thing does not happen again.
The circumstances of Temu's international expansion have already been read in detail on Telex, and since the Korean authorities previously also found toxic substances in Shein children's clothing, we also wrote about this, as well as when Temu is available on Aliexpress and the less well-known Hungarian e-commerce platform Qoo10 for cosmetics and toys was found to contain harmful substances.
