Sunscreen is one of the most tightly regulated categories in cosmetics in the EU. Consumers rely on the SPF number on the label to protect their skin from sunburn and long-term UV damage, which means that an inaccurate claim is a safety and health issue. In the EU, sunscreen claims must be backed by standardized testing; and labeling rules limit how protection can be described.
Concurrently, e-commerce has changed how cosmetics reach consumers. Products can now be sold directly to EU shoppers from anywhere in the world, often without passing through the importers, distributors, or middlemen that traditionally enforced compliance. Regulators are responding, and recent enforcement shows how these two issues can come together in a single product.
EU Safety Gate alerts involving two sunscreen products sold through AliExpress highlight why sunscreen regulations and product compliance remain important issues for the cosmetics industry.
The two products, manufactured in China and designed to imitate La Roche-Posay sunscreens, were marketed with SPF claims of 50 or 100. However, testing found significantly lower protection, with results below SPF 2 or at SPF 0. The products were subsequently flagged for recall and removal from the market through the EU’s Safety Gate system.
The Safety Gate alerts show that the issues with these products went beyond their tested SPF performance. Under EU sunscreen guidance, UV protection should be measured using specific testing methods, products must meet minimum levels of UVB and UVA protection, and sunscreen labels top out at “50+.” That means the product labeled “SPF 100” did not align with EU labeling guidance and was non-compliant before any testing was done, while both products failed to deliver the level of protection stated on their labels. These examples also point to a broader issue: the growing consumer trend around beauty dupes. While not every dupe is non-compliant, concerns arise when a product copies the look of a trusted brand without the testing and safety work needed to support it.
The two sunscreens flagged through Safety Gate were designed to imitate La Roche-Posay products, but testing found that their actual SPF protection fell dramatically short of the claims on their labels.
For compliant cosmetics brands, these examples may seem far removed from day-to-day operations. But the increased scrutiny surrounding non-compliant products sold online has implications for compliant brands, too.
EU Scrutiny of Non-Compliant E-Commerce Products Is Increasing
The sunscreen alerts come as the EU is taking a closer look at products entering the market through e-commerce.
During an EU-wide customs control operation conducted in 2025, authorities examined 5,772 cosmetic products purchased online and shipped directly to EU consumers from outside the EU. Sixty-five percent did not comply with EU product standards. Among the issues identified across the products checked were incorrect or missing labeling, missing documentation, and prohibited ingredients.
In addition, in July 2026, a coalition of 88 industry and civil society associations came together to send a letter to the European Commission warning that the rapid growth of direct-to-consumer imports from outside the EU is making it harder to ensure products sold online comply with EU requirements. One concern is accountability: when a product is sold by a company outside the EU, there may be no identifiable economic operator within the EU who can be held responsible for its compliance. The groups called for this gap to be addressed through the forthcoming European Product Act, including the roles and responsibilities of online platforms.
Growing concerns are also reflected in recent enforcement. In July 2026, the European Commission fined AliExpress €550 million for failing to meet obligations under the Digital Services Act related to assessing and mitigating risks involving illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products sold through its platform.
These developments do not mean that every product sold through e-commerce presents the same risks. However, the European Commission says compliance of e-commerce imports will continue to be monitored, with additional targeted controls possible for products and operators presenting a particularly high risk of non-compliance.
Sunscreen Regulations and the Importance of Claims Substantiation
In the cases of the two Safety Gate alerts, the protection consumers were told to expect was dramatically different from what testing found. The underlying lesson for brands here is that claims need appropriate substantiation behind them.
In other words, brands should make sure that claims accurately reflect how the product was developed and maintain the appropriate data to support those claims.
What Does This Mean for Cosmetic and Personal Care Brands?
Even compliant brands may encounter greater scrutiny as authorities focus on non-compliant and counterfeit products. That makes preparedness important.
Brands should have internal processes for substantiating claims, maintain relevant safety and efficacy information, and establish SOPs that help teams consistently follow those processes.
But if claims, formulation information, labeling, and regulatory documentation live across different spreadsheets, systems, and teams, pulling together the information needed to support compliance can be difficult.
A centralized platform, on the other hand, gives regulatory teams greater visibility into the information behind their products and helps keep compliance part of the product lifecycle rather than something addressed only when an issue surfaces.
How Can Beauty Brands Prepare for Increased Regulatory Scrutiny?
Bad actors and counterfeit products may operate at one end of the market, but the regulatory response can have implications well beyond those companies.
For compliant cosmetics brands, the takeaway is straightforward:
Make sure product claims are supported, keep the relevant documentation organized, and have repeatable internal processes in place so your team is prepared to provide evidence when needed.
Ithos is a cosmetics-specific compliance platform that connects ingredients, formulations, claims, labeling, documentation, and submissions across the full product lifecycle. With Ithos, you can maintain greater visibility and readiness as requirements and regulatory scrutiny evolve.
Ready to strengthen your approach to cosmetic regulatory compliance?
Schedule a demo with our team to learn how Ithos can help.
Sources
- Protein powder, sunglasses, moisturiser: what do these products have in common if you buy them online? – European Commission
- Commission fines AliExpress €550 million for breaching the Digital Services Act – European Commission
- Safety Gate alert 10118692 – European Commission
- Safety Gate alert 10118691 – European Commission
- Joint letter on the European Product Act and online platforms – Cosmetics Europe
