Protein powder, sunglasses, moisturiser: What do these products have in common? If you buy them online, they most likely violate EU product standards

[ad_1] Customs authorities deal with an enormous and ever-increasing variety of items purchased on-line and imported on to shoppers into the EU. They play a significant position on the EU’s borders by controlling items arriving from third nations and ensuring that solely secure merchandise attain shoppers and that competitors within the single market stays honest.

This work has develop into more and more demanding as customs authorities deal with a quickly rising variety of small parcels pushed by international e-commerce. Since 2022, the quantity of small packages despatched into the EU has doubled yearly. In 2024, 4.6 billion packages have flooded the EU market. On the finish of 2025, this quantity has reached 5.8 billion, over 1 / 4 enhance from the earlier yr.

Most of those items instantly shipped to EU shoppers from third nations don't adjust to EU product guidelines and security requirements. This was discovered by a new EU-wide massive scale customs management operation, in cooperation with Market Surveillance Authorities (MSA) and Meals Security Authorities (FSA).

Within the second part of the so-called precedence management space (PCA), 27 customs authorities, in cooperation with market surveillance and meals security authorities carried out intensive controls to evaluate the compliance of merchandise imported through e-commerce throughout an outlined time-period from October to December 2025.

Throughout devoted days, they chose and managed beauty merchandise (e.g. make-up and lotions), private protecting gear (e.g. helmets and life vests) and meals dietary supplements (e.g. protein powder and nutritional vitamins) coming from third nation operators on to EU shoppers. A complete of 11 338 items had been checked.

Member states targeted their controls (for cosmetics and private protecting gear) on the 4 main marketplaces representing greater than 90% of the low worth consignments introduced into the EU.

The outcomes are putting. Nearly all of these merchandise didn't adjust to EU guidelines and product requirements (incorrect or lacking labelling or marking, absence of crucial documentation, inclusion of forbidden components, and so forth.). When these parts are lacking, the product doesn't comprise crucial warning messages, documentation on the best way to safely use the merchandise, and different requirements that EU merchants should respect in the event that they wish to promote their merchandise on the EU market.

Cosmetics

Shut to six,000 items of cosmetics, together with for instance skincare merchandise, toothpastes, make-up, hair and nail merchandise had been checked. 65% of these merchandise didn't adjust to EU product requirements. The most important share (63 %) of those non-compliant cosmetics merchandise was of Chinese language origin, adopted by the UK and the USA of America, representing collectively 93% of the non-compliant cosmetics merchandise discovered in the course of the management motion.

Cosmetics - International price of non-compliance B2C consignments - EU vast

Private Protecting Gear

Over 2000 items of non-public protecting gear merchandise had been additionally checked. This contains for instance bike helmets, gloves, ear safety, sun shades, swimming googles or life vests. 60% of these merchandise didn't adjust to EU product requirements. 91 % of the non-compliant private protecting gear was discovered to be of Chinese language origin, with an additional 6% originating from the USA of America.

PPE International-rate of non-compliance B2C consignments - EU vast

Meals Dietary supplements

Shut to three,500 items of meals dietary supplements had been checked, together with as an illustration protein powder, booster dietary supplements, dietary dietary supplements, natural preparations and nutritional vitamins. The USA of America, China, and the UK had been the main nations of origin for non-compliant meals dietary supplements, with the USA holding a touch bigger share. India, Hong Kong, and Korea accounted for the rest.

Meals dietary supplements are bought via a extra various vary of on-line platforms. This leads to a extra fragmented on-line market, the place merchandise are scattered throughout many various web sites. Nonetheless, knowledge present that non-compliance is a matter throughout your entire on-line meals complement market.

Meals dietary supplements - International price of non compliance B2C consignments - EU vast

What’s subsequent?

These outcomes clearly present the necessity for extra urgent motion to defend shoppers and honest competitors. The info collected gives essential classes to enhance and strengthen controls.

The compliance of e-commerce imports shall be constantly monitored by customs, in cooperation with market surveillance and meals security authorities. Furthermore, further threat administration measures, resembling enhanced focused controls, could also be determined vis-à-vis the merchandise and operators for whom the chance of non-compliance has been discovered as notably excessive. This knowledge might be additional used to measure the extent of compliance of the platforms which have been designated as Very Massive On-line Marketplaces (VLOPs) with their obligations underneath the Digital Companies Act (DSA). As well as, funding for the customs laboratories and prioritization underneath the Customs Management Gear Instrument (CCEI) has already been elevated to strengthen their capability to analyse and detect merchandise for non-compliance.

Customs enforcement actions are totally aligned and dealing in tandem with the European Fee initiatives underneath the Digital Companies Act, making certain that merchandise bought on-line adjust to EU guidelines and that buyers are successfully protected throughout the Single Market.

The Fee providers are finalising a complete report with the findings of the PCA, together with classes discovered and strategies for the strengthened monitoring and management of compliance of e-commerce imports, that shall be made public.

EU Customs Reform: Making a degree taking part in discipline and safer on-line buying

EU guidelines and product requirements defend residents and the setting. Producers who adjust to them shouldn't be at a drawback.

The EU’s Customs Reform, which is within the remaining levels of negotiation with the Council and the European Parliament, shall be essential to create a degree taking part in discipline and honest competitors underneath the identical circumstances. The Reform will defend the EU wholesale, retail commerce and its staff. With this objective, Member States already agreed to finish the exemption from customized duties of parcels under 150 €, changing it with a single customized responsibility of three € per merchandise relevant from 1 July 2026.

The Customs Reform provisions additionally defend EU shoppers and contribute to making sure that solely compliant and secure merchandise enter the EU market and attain our residents. With the Reform, platforms and sellers shall be thought of “deemed importers”. This implies on-line platforms and sellers would be the key actors in making certain that items bought on-line into the EU adjust to all customs obligations. It is a main departure from the present customs system, which places the duty on the person shopper and carriers. With on-line platforms and sellers because the official importers, EU shoppers might be reassured that each one taxes and duties have been paid and that their purchases are secure and in keeping with EU environmental, security and moral requirements.

Furthermore, EU customs will proceed to observe the compliance of e-commerce imports in cooperation with market surveillance authorities and different competent authorities, together with meals security authorities.

Background

Customs work intently with nationwide market surveillance authorities, which monitor and implement the compliance of merchandise with European product security legal guidelines, as soon as these items are on the EU market. These authorities are appointed by a Member State to hold out market surveillance in that Member State (e.g. nationwide shopper product security companies, chemical substances authorities and regulators).

On meals gadgets, customs additionally work with meals security authorities, official authorities our bodies answerable for ensuring that meals is fit for human consumption and meets well being and hygiene requirements. They defend shoppers by regulating, monitoring, and implementing guidelines throughout the meals chain, from manufacturing and processing to retail and eating places.

The cooperation between customs and people authorities is crucial, to make sure fluid change of knowledge amongst Member States to higher monitor and management e-commerce imports, or to extrapolate the outcomes of controls figuring out non-compliant merchandise as a way to apply them to the opposite imports of the identical merchandise.

The outcomes of this present motion observe up on a first part precedence management space (PCA), which befell from April -June 2025 and through which 20,000 toys and small electronics had been checked. Greater than half of them didn't observe EU product requirements. A choice of these merchandise was additionally laboratory-tested for his or her security, and 84% of those examined merchandise had been discovered harmful.