Half of Overseas Halloween Children's Costumes Fail to Meet Domestic Safety Standards

Safety Investigation of Children's Costumes on Overseas Direct Purchase Platforms
52.9% Fail to Meet Domestic Safety Standards
Endocrine Disruptors and Carcinogens Detected Up to 624 Times Above Safety Limits
Small Parts Like Rings and Earrings... No Warning Labels Found

Children's costumes sold on overseas direct purchase platforms such as Aliexpress and Temu have been found to not meet domestic safety standards.

Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine disruptors (environmental hormones) that can negatively affect reproduction and growth development. Lead is a carcinogen that can cause reduced intelligence development in children and loss of appetite. Photo by Getty Images

On October 24, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that, ahead of Halloween Day, it had investigated the safety of 17 children's costumes sold on overseas direct purchase platforms and found that 52.9% did not meet domestic safety standards.

When examining the safety regarding hazardous substances, 17.6% (3 products) were found to contain phthalate plasticizers and lead exceeding domestic safety standards. In items such as headbands and gloves from three products, phthalate plasticizers were detected at levels up to 624 times higher than the domestic safety standard (0.1% or less). In addition, the belt of one product contained lead at 2.3 times the domestic safety standard.

Ahead of Halloween Day, an investigation into the safety of 17 children's costumes sold on overseas direct purchase platforms revealed that 52.9% did not meet domestic safety standards. The photo is not directly related. Getty Images

Phthalate plasticizers are endocrine disruptors (environmental hormones) that can negatively affect reproductive health and growth development. Lead is a carcinogen that can cause reduced intelligence development and loss of appetite in children.

It was also found that small items such as rings and earrings did not have warning labels. According to domestic safety standards, small parts that can be swallowed by children must be prohibited depending on the age group, or must have warning labels if included. However, among the 17 products investigated, 35.3% either included small parts or lacked warning labels, raising concerns about choking risks if swallowed by children.

There is also a risk of burns or fire, as flames can spread rapidly if they come into contact with these costumes. Among the 15 products that could be tested for flame spread rate, 40% (6 products) did not meet domestic safety standards. These products were found to pose a risk of fire or burns to children if exposed to flames from candles, fireworks, or similar sources.

Of the six products, three exceeded the domestic safety standard for flame spread rate by up to 1.5 times. The remaining three products did not have the required warning labels according to domestic safety standards.

The Korea Consumer Agency shared the investigation results with operators of overseas direct purchase platforms and recommended blocking sales of the hazardous products.

The platform operators accepted the recommendation, blocked the sales of the hazardous products, and plan to strengthen safety through their own inspections.