South Korean officials have discovered that some products from popular online shopping sites like Shein and Temu are dangerously contaminated with harmful chemicals. The news has sent ripples through the fashion world, sparking serious concerns about what we're actually buying.

What’s the Problem?

Authorities in Seoul have been inspecting items sold by these online giants, and the results are alarming. Many products, including clothes and accessories from Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, were found to have toxic levels of dangerous substances. Some of these chemicals are hundreds of times over the legal safety limits.

For instance, shoes from Shein were found to have a chemical called phthalates at levels 229 times higher than what’s considered safe. Phthalates are used to make plastic more flexible but can harm reproductive health and may even cause cancer.

In other shocking findings, formaldehyde, a chemical often used in building materials, was found in Shein’s hats at ...