The European Union is set to open a formal investigation into fast-fashion giant Shein over multiple suspected breaches of the bloc’s laws, including the alleged sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons.
The European Commission said on Tuesday it had launched the inquiry, having requested information on the allegations from Shein last year.
Alongside the more headline grabbing allegations, the commission also said it was investigating Shein for stocking clothes, cosmetics and electronic products that were not compliant with European law.
On top of investigating the products on sale through the fast-fashion retailer’s website in the bloc, the commission will look into what it called the “addictive design of the service Shein is providing”, with bonus point programmes, gamification and rewards “that may lead to a risk of users’ mental well being”.
The inquiry will also look at Shein’s recommending systems, which the commission believes may overwhelm users with suggestions of other products to purchase.
“We have a suspicion that the system of Shein is not built to avoid the sale of illegal products,” an official told The Guardian today (February 17). “Illegal products? There is still a lot there so something is probably not working.”
This is the second time the European Commission has investigated a retailer, after it launched a similar probe into Temu in late 2024.
The move comes months after the French government backed off from a push for a three-month suspension of Shein’s services in the country, after illegal products were found stocked on its website.
France had threatened to suspend Shein in November 2025, amidst the fallout from its sale of childlike sex dolls. It came at the same time as Shein was set to open its first ever standalone bricks-and-mortar store in the French capital of Paris.
The European Commission said its inquiries into Shein were completely separate of those being done by the French government.
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