France Threatens Shein Over Baby-Looking Sex Dolls For Sale: 'These Horrible Items Are Illegal'

France warned Shein on Monday that it could ban it from the market if the Chinese online retailer re-sells child-looking sex dolls, which Shein pulled from sale after pressure from regulators, according to Reuters.

“If such conduct is repeated, we would have the legal right to stop Shein's access to the French market,” French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure told BFM TV on Monday.

“These appalling items are illegal” and “there will be a judicial inquiry,” he said.

“It is provided for in the law”, warned the Minister of Economy, specifying that such a thing is assimilated to “terrorist acts, drug trafficking and child pornographic objects”.

“Si ces comportements sont répétés, je demanderais quon interdise l'accès de la platforme Shein au marché français”

Roland Lescure, Minister of Economy, adresses le cas de la vente de poupées sexuelles à l'effigie d'enfants sur la platforme chinoise pic.twitter.com/SMQ9LxLY2T

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) November 3, 2025

In the case of child pornography content, company directors risk seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros.

The backlash comes after the Chinese online retailer said on Sunday it had pulled child-looking sex dolls from sale after they were found on its website by the French consumer watchdog.

France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Protection and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said late on Saturday that it had identified the dolls on the website, along with several other pornographic items such as adult-looking sex dolls, and had reported the matter to judicial authorities.

“Their description and classification on the website leaves no doubt as to the pornographic nature of the content,” the DGCCRF said in a statement.

The agency added that no filtering measures effectively limit the access of minors or sensitive audiences to this pornographic content on Shein's website.

Contacted by Reuters, Shein said in an email that “the products in question were immediately pulled from the platform as soon as we became aware of these major deficiencies.”

This case comes as the Chinese fast-fashion company is set to open a brick-and-mortar store, its first in France, on Wednesday at Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BVH) in Paris.

The ad has been criticized by mainstream French clothing retailers, who say Shein is undermining their business model with its ultra-low prices.

Shein also plans to open five more stores within Galeries Lafayette stores in Angers, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges and Reims.

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