Avoid Slime Toy Bought outside the EU
Slime bought in Danish stores performs much better than slime from Wish, Shein, Temu, and Amazon, according to a new study from the Danish Consumer Council Think Chemicals.
It sticks to your fingers and comes in many colors and shapes. It’s disgusting and weird—in a fun way. But what’s hiding in this popular type of sticky toy? And is there a difference between slime bought in Danish stores and on online market platforms, for example, Temu?
The Danish Consumer Council’s Think Chemicals has tested 25 different types of slime bought from non-EU webshops and Danish stores for problematic chemicals.
In the study, over 60 percent of the slime from foreign webshops release unwanted chemicals far above the allowed limit. Looking at slime bought in Denmark, most products comply with regulations, and none of the products have as high releases of unwanted chemicals as those from the online platforms.
25 toy slimes from…
- Temu – Seven products
- Wish – Three products
- Shein – Three products
- Amazon – Three products
- Danish stores – Nine products
Can affect fertility and be endocrine disrupting
Borate compounds such as borax and boric acid are used in slime to preserve it and prevent the growth of bacteria or mold in the aqueous product and to give it its characteristic texture.
Several borate compounds are on the EU’s list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). They can affect our fertility and harm the unborn child and are suspected of being endocrine disrupting.
Therefore, the EU has set limits on how much boron can be released from toys. Slime has different consistencies and can belong to different product groups. According to EU rules, consistency of the products affects how much boron is allowed.
The limit for more fluid slime is 300 mg boron/kg. For more stiff slime, a higher release of boron is allowed, with a limit of 1200 mg/kg.
In our test, most products belong to the liquid category, and only two resemble modeling clay.
Slime bought outside the EU releases unwanted chemicals
In our study, there is a difference in the release of boron depending on where the products are bought.
In slime bought in Denmark, there is in general lower release of unwanted chemicals than if you buy slime from the online platforms Temu, Wish, Amazon or Shein.
Only one product from the Danish market exceeds the limit for boron release, while a few are just around the limit. But no products from the Danish market have the same high release of boron as we find in more than half of the products bought from the online marketplaces.
10 out of a total of 16 toy slimes bought on online platforms have boron release far above the toy limit. Our study shows migration of boron from these products exceed 1000 mg/kg
All the slimes from Wish and Shein exceed the EU limit for boron, while from Amazon it was one out of three and from Temu it was three out of seven products that have too high a release.
Boron in the 25 types of slime toys
We have also bought nine toy slimes in Danish stores from different manufacturers. Most of these slimes are under or just around the requirements for boron. Just one product showed migration of boron above the limit.
Panduro informs the Danish Consumer Council that they have stopped selling the product until they know more from Robetoy A/S, the manufacturer of the product. Coop, which sells one of the products that is just around the limit, states that although the product is legal, they are investigating the product and how to get the level further down.
When we compare slime bought outside the EU with slime from Danish stores, it is very clear that far more products from online platforms contain unwanted chemicals. Stine Müller Test manager, The Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals
“There can be problems with Danish products, and in general we also regularly find this in our tests. But when we compare the slime bought outside the EU with slime from Danish stores, it is clear that far more products from online platforms contain unwanted chemicals, and in much higher concentrations than those from Danish stores. This clearly shows that there is an urgent need for the platforms to take greater responsibility for their products than they do today if we are to adequately protect children and limit their exposure to unwanted chemicals,” says test manager at The Danish Consumer Council THINk Chemicals, Stine Müller.
Problems with boron in slime in previous tests
We have previously seen that slime products can have problems complying with toy legislation.
In a test from 2018, we found that six out of 15 toy slimes from the Danish market had boron release just around or above the toy limit. Particularly four of the products released boron significantly above the limit for slime.
In the new study, there are fewer toy slimes on the Danish market that release unwanted chemicals than in the previous test.
Minister of the Environment Magnus Heunicke
“It is deeply concerning that we again see examples of toys sold on online platforms like Temu and Wish that do not comply with the EU’s chemical legislation. The products can be downright dangerous for children. Consumers simply cannot be sure of products bought on online platforms where the seller is from third countries, as they in several documented cases do not comply with the regulation we have in the EU.
Therefore, my clear recommendation is to avoid buying products from these platforms.
The goal is that Temu and other online platforms shall comply with the EU’s product rules. We need to close the loophole in the EU legislation so that they are held liable for the products sold and marketed to EU citizens on their platforms. We must collectively insist that it is the platform’s responsibility that they do not have illegal and hazardous products for sale. In Denmark, we will now set up a task force to discuss enforcement options against the sale of products from third countries via online platforms like Temu.”
What the companies says
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"On becoming aware of these concerns and as a matter of caution, we are immediately removing the products from our global platform whilst we conduct an investigation.
Third-party sellers are required to comply with SHEIN’s stringent product compliance standards and Code of Conduct as well as local laws and regulations, and where necessary, they are required to supply appropriate certifications. We also conduct regular targeted randomised testing on these products.
Upon learning of any claim against a product sold by a third-party seller, we immediately remove the product and conduct an investigation. If non-compliance is verified, we take action against the seller in accordance with our marketplace governance rules.
We are working to continually ensure our sellers meet compliance requirements and we assess seller performance on an ongoing basis on factors such as audit pass rates and customer feedback. Since the start of 2024, we have removed 266 sellers from the platform as part of this effort."
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“After investigating, we've ensured that the product listings in your report has been made unavailable for purchase on the Wish platform” .
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“Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
At Temu, product quality and consumer safety are top priorities. We take reports of non-compliance seriously and are fully committed to following the laws of the markets we serve.
After receiving the report, we immediately removed the flagged product listings and initiated further investigations.
All dealers on our platform must comply with applicable regulations. We will take action against those who violate these rules, which may include removing products, suspending sellers, or banning them from the platform.
We work with regulators and consumer groups to protect consumers and will continue to improve our processes to ensure a safe shopping experience.“
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“After reviewing the products you flagged, we confirm that we have removed them from our stores. We are also reviewing the controls we have on these categories to better detect and mitigate similar issues going forward.”