Gaping holes in safety of products sold on Temu

Tests carried out over the last fifteen months by consumer groups from the BEUC network have exposed the shoddy safety of certain products on sale on Temu.

BEUC members in Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom conducted the tests focusing on different types of products, ranging from cosmetics to children’s toys, revealing a litany of problems. These include too easily detachable small parts of children’s toys and baby products which can cause suffocation, missing or incorrect ingredients’ list in cosmetics, or highly dangerous electric heaters. Many of these products did not comply with current legislation and should therefore not be on sale. In some samples, none of the products checked were compliant.

Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, said:

“Temu might have taken Europe by storm because it is cheap, but it is an entry point for illegal products that have no place on our markets. There is a clear, and widespread problem with Temu which authorities must solve urgently. Consumers have dangerous products entering their homes, while many businesses in Europe which take the time to comply with our laws are being subject to unfair competition. That is why we are asking the European Commission to conclude its ongoing investigation and take deterrent and effective action against Temu in the interest of consumers and of those companies who are trying to do the right thing.”

BEUC is calling on the European Commission to:

1. Conclude its various investigations into Temu with effective remedies and ensure all concerned online platforms respects the Digital Services Act and EU consumer law.
2. Put forward an ambitious and broad e-commerce action plan addressing the problems consumers face on online marketplaces, including clear liability rules. 
3. Work with the European Parliament and Council to finalise the EU customs reform which helps prevent dangerous goods from entering the EU. For example, customs authorities need to be better resourced and tasked with investigating product safety as and when they enter the EU, which is not currently the case.

Separately, BEUC is calling on the Irish authority Coimisiún na Meán to investigate the parts of its and its members’ complaints filed in May 2024 against Temu which the Commission is not addressing in its own investigation and take deterrent action. BEUC and its members published complaints against Temu last year for repeated breaches of the Digital Services Act, including use of prohibited dark patterns and the insufficient traceability of the sellers on its platform.