What’s Woven Into Fast Fashion?

Concerns about PFAS in clothing are no longer limited to laboratory studies or discussions among environmental scientists. In recent years, growing attention has been placed on the presence of so-called “forever chemicals” in everyday consumer products, including jackets, shoes, outdoor apparel, and other clothing marketed as waterproof, stain-resistant, or water-repellent. Major online fashion retailers and marketplaces have increasingly faced scrutiny over the chemicals found in products sold to consumers, raising questions about how effectively hazardous substances are being monitored throughout the global apparel supply chain.

One of the most prominent examples is SHEIN, one of the world's largest ultra-fast-fashion retailers. The company has experienced explosive growth by offering consumers extremely inexpensive clothing and rapidly introducing new products. Its business model depends heavily on a vast international supply chain, online sales, and the frequent production of new styles. While this model has made fashion more affordable and accessible, it has also attracted increasing scrutiny from environmental organizations, consumer advocates, and government authorities over issues including waste and labor conditions. Product supply as well as

In 2025, Greenpeace Germany investigated the chemical safety of SHEIN products by purchasing 56 garments and pairs of shoes across eight countries and sending them to an independent accredited laboratory for chemical analysis. According to Greenpeace, 18 of the 56 products tested (32%) contained hazardous chemicals at concentrations exceeding limits established under the European Union's REACH chemical regulations. REACH, which stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, is one of the European Union's major frameworks for regulating chemical substances and limiting consumers' exposure to substances considered hazardous.

PFAS were among the chemicals identified during the investigation. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large family of synthetic chemicals known for their resistance to water, oil, heat, and stains. These properties have made them useful in a variety of consumer and industrial applications, including certain types of outdoor and waterproof clothing. However, many PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment and can remain in ecosystems for long periods of time. Some individual PFAS have also been associated with potential health effects, which has contributed to increasing regulatory efforts to restrict or eliminate their use in consumer products.

According to Greenpeace, seven jackets included in its SHEIN investigation exceeded applicable PFAS limits. In some cases, the organization reported that the concentrations were as much as 3,300 times higher than the relevant limits. Such findings are particularly significant because waterproof and water-repellent clothing can be deliberately treated with chemical coatings or finishes to give the material its desired performance characteristics. Consumers may purchase these products because they want protection from rain or moisture without realizing that chemical treatments may have been used to achieve those properties.

Other substances identified above regulatory limits in the Greenpeace investigation included phthalates. Phthalates are a group of chemicals commonly used to make plastics more flexible and durable, and some have been restricted because of concerns about potential health and reproductive effects. Their presence in clothing and related products adds another dimension to the broader debate about chemical exposure from inexpensive consumer goods.

At the same time, the Greenpeace findings should be interpreted carefully. The fact that 18 out of 56 products tested contained hazardous chemicals above applicable regulatory limits does not mean that one-third of all SHEIN clothing contains excessive levels of hazardous chemicals. The investigation involved a relatively small number of products that were specifically selected for testing and therefore cannot be considered statistically representative of SHEIN's entire inventory. Product composition can also vary depending on the material, manufacturer, country of production, intended use, and chemical treatments applied during manufacturing. Nevertheless, the investigation provides a real-world example of PFAS and other regulated chemicals appearing in clothing sold through a major fast-fashion retailer.

The issue has also moved beyond consumer advocacy and environmental investigations and into the courtroom. In February 2026, the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against SHEIN US Services and several affiliated companies. Among numerous allegations concerning the company's business practices, Texas alleged that products sold by SHEIN contained hazardous substances, including PFAS, lead, phthalates, cadmium, and formaldehyde. The allegations represent claims made in litigation and should not be treated as established facts unless they are ultimately proven through the legal process. Nevertheless, the lawsuit demonstrates that chemical safety is becoming an increasingly important part of the regulatory and legal conversation surrounding fast fashion and online retail.

SHEIN is also not the only large online shopping platform to come under scrutiny. The issue is particularly complicated by the rise of online marketplaces, where consumers can purchase extremely inexpensive products from sellers located around the world. Platforms such as Temu and Amazon can host products from large numbers of independent manufacturers and third-party sellers, making it difficult for consumers to determine where a particular garment was manufactured, what materials were used, or which chemical treatments were applied.

In 2025, the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals examined this issue by testing 17 inexpensive waterproof jackets purchased through SHEIN, Temu, and Amazon. PFAS were detected in 13 of the 17 jackets tested. The organization reported that 12 of the jackets contained PFAS substances at concentrations prohibited under European Union regulations. For comparison, researchers also tested nine waterproof jackets purchased from Danish stores, finding PFAS in only one of those products.

The comparison does not necessarily establish that online marketplaces universally sell more chemically hazardous clothing than traditional retailers. The sample sizes were small, the products were selected for a particular investigation, and the jackets purchased from different retailers may have differed in design, materials, manufacturing processes, and intended use. In addition, Amazon and Temu operate primarily as marketplaces containing products from numerous third-party sellers. Consequently, the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that every product—or even every jacket—sold through either platform contains PFAS.

Instead, the testing highlights a broader challenge created by today's enormous global apparel marketplace: consumers may have very little information about the chemical treatments applied to an inexpensive garment before it reaches their closet. A product may be advertised primarily on the basis of its appearance, price, water resistance, or other performance characteristics, while information about the chemicals used during manufacturing may be difficult to find or completely absent.

This lack of transparency can make informed consumer decision-making difficult. Unlike food products, which generally have standardized ingredient labeling, clothing does not always provide consumers with a clear list of every chemical substance used during production. A shopper may know that a jacket is made from polyester or nylon, for example, but may not know whether the fabric was treated with a PFAS-based coating, stain-resistant finish, plasticizer, or other chemical during manufacturing.

The concern is particularly relevant for waterproof and water-resistant apparel. PFAS have historically been valued by manufacturers because they can provide highly effective resistance to water and oils. As governments and consumers become more concerned about the environmental persistence of these chemicals, however, companies are increasingly under pressure to develop alternative materials and finishes. Some manufacturers have already begun marketing products as “PFAS-free,” demonstrating that water resistance does not necessarily require the use of the entire class of PFAS chemicals.

The issue also illustrates the difficulty of regulating products in a globalized fashion industry. A single garment purchased by a consumer in Europe or the United States may involve raw materials from one country, fabric production in another, chemical treatment somewhere else, and final assembly in yet another location. The finished product can then be sold through an online platform to a consumer thousands of miles away. This complex supply chain can make enforcement and accountability much more difficult, particularly when products are sold through marketplaces involving numerous independent suppliers.

Regulators have therefore increasingly focused not only on individual chemicals but also on the systems used to control chemical exposure in consumer products. Restrictions on PFAS and other hazardous substances can create incentives for manufacturers to reformulate products, improve testing, and provide more information about the materials and treatments used in production. However, effective enforcement also depends on adequate testing and supply-chain oversight. Without meaningful monitoring, products that fail to meet regulatory requirements can potentially reach consumers before problems are identified.

For consumers, the findings do not necessarily mean that every inexpensive jacket or piece of fast fashion is dangerous. Nor do they mean that purchasing a product from a traditional retailer automatically guarantees that it is free from PFAS or other concerning chemicals. Instead, the investigations demonstrate why greater transparency and independent testing are important. Consumers generally cannot determine the chemical composition of a garment simply by looking at it, feeling the fabric, or reading a basic product description online.

Ultimately, the growing scrutiny of SHEIN, Temu, Amazon marketplace products, and other global retailers reflects a larger shift in how society thinks about the safety of everyday consumer goods. The question is no longer simply whether a garment is inexpensive, fashionable, or functional. Increasingly, consumers, regulators, and environmental organizations are asking what chemicals were used to make that garment. What lasting impact does these substances leave in the environment? Does the material potentially cause human harm?

The investigations described above should therefore be viewed as evidence of a broader consumer-product safety challenge rather than proof that all clothing sold by a particular company is contaminated. The samples were limited, and individual investigations cannot represent an entire global inventory. Nevertheless, the repeated detection of PFAS in waterproof clothing purchased from major online retailers demonstrates why chemical transparency in the fashion industry deserves continued attention. As governments strengthen regulations and consumers become more aware of PFAS and other persistent chemicals, pressure will likely continue to grow on fashion companies and online marketplaces to identify hazardous substances, reduce their use, improve supply-chain oversight, and provide consumers with clearer information about what is actually in the products they buy.

Sources:

Greenpeace Germany. (2025). Shäm dich, Shein: Chemikalien in Shein-Produkten.
https://www.greenpeace.de/pdf/SchaemDichShein.pdf

Greenpeace Germany. (2026). SHEIN: Chemikalien und Umweltbelastungen.
https://www.greenpeace.de/engagieren/nachhaltiger-leben/shein

Greenpeace Germany. (2025). Shame on You, Shein II.
https://www.greenpeace.de/pdf/Shame_on_You_Shein_II.pdf

Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals. (2025). Most waterproof jackets from Amazon, Shein and Temu contain harmful PFAS.
https://taenk.dk/kemi/visit-our-english-version/most-waterproof-jackets-amazon-shein-and-temu-contain-harmful-pfas

Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals. (2025). Illegal PFAS in three out of four jackets from Temu, Amazon and Shein.
https://taenk.dk/presse/ulovlig-pfas-i-tre-ud-af-fire-jakker-fra-temu-amazon-og-shein

Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals. (2025). PFAS in jackets.
https://taenk.dk/test/kemitest-jakker/pfas-i-jakker

Texas Attorney General. (2026, February 20). Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Shein for deceptive trade practices and violating Texas law.
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/es/node/279841