France’s competition and consumer watchdog has fined ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein €22 million for misleading consumer practices and bogus environmental claims.

The French regulator, DGCCRF, issues the latest fines on Shein’s parent company, Infinite Styles Ecommerce Co. Limited (ISEL), after concluding two separate investigations on Wednesday.

Shein was fined an initial €5.76 million for failing to let French consumers cancel purchases, not respecting the legal cooling off period and for failing to provide accurate environmental information about product traceability and plastic microfibres contained in garments.

A second, larger fine – totalling €16.73 million – was issued after the regulator found that Shein had failed to provide consumers with complete information in breach of French consumer protection rules.

The regulator found that mandatory details – such as information about consumers’ legal guarantees, the right of withdrawal and the identity of the seller – were missing, weakening protections in the event of a dispute.

Both investigations were conducted in 2025 and looked at Shein’s French website.

Wednesday’s fines are the second set of penalties imposed on Shein by DGCCRF. Last July, the platform was fined €40 million after it was found providing misleading information, including inaccurate price indications and deceptive environmental and sustainability claims.

French ministers Roland Lescure, Serge Papin and Anne Le Hénanff welcomed the latest intervention in a press statement shared with Euractiv which described Shein as “making unfair competition its business model”.

The ministers added that they would “continue to fight this battle” at both the national and European levels.

Last year, Shein was at the centre of another controversy in France after illegal products – including “child-like” sex dolls – were found for sale on its local marketplace, leading to a criminal investigation in Paris.

The revelation prompted the European Commission to open its own probe of the ultra-discount platform in February, under the Digital Services Act (DSA), focused on suspected sales of illegal products.

In an emailed statement, a Shein spokesperson said that it contests the DGCCRF’s enforcement, arguing the penalties were “manifestly disproportionate and discriminatory”.

It also claimed to have corrected several technical issues identified during the watchdog’s investigation, arguing that the fines should therefore have been lower.

(nl)