Key facts
- Over 40,000 noncompliant condoms were sold online in France.
- Recalled products carried risks of bursting and perforations.
- Authorities warned of potential health risks including unwanted pregnancies and STIs.
- Two CE-marked condom products sold in physical stores were also found to be faulty.
- Approximately 260,000 units have been recalled in total.
- The issue is part of a wider European crackdown on counterfeit and noncompliant condoms.
French health authorities have issued a warning regarding the sale of over 40,000 noncompliant condoms online in recent months, citing serious risks to user health and safety, including unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Authorities have instructed online platforms to immediately remove advertisements for these products, with 36 listings already taken down. Several e-commerce sites have committed to reviewing their screening processes. Investigations revealed approximately 30 condom lines that lacked the mandatory EU CE safety marking and third-party conformity checks, primarily sold by Asian vendors on major online marketplaces.
The issue extends beyond online sales, as tests on CE-marked condoms sold in physical stores identified two faulty products. One product posed a "risk of bursting," while another had "the presence of perforations." Recalls initiated in May and August have covered around 260,000 units of these products.
This French alert follows a broader European effort to combat substandard condoms. In July, the EU's anti-fraud office traced over 200,000 counterfeit condoms, bearing a well-known brand's logo, to a single source in China. These products were seized in Spain, Romania, and Serbia.
The warning comes amid a significant rise in STIs across Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported nearly 100,000 confirmed gonorrhea cases in Europe in 2023, marking a 31 percent increase from 2022 and a more than 300 percent rise compared to 2014. This represents the highest recorded rate in Europe since the ECDC began its STI surveillance in 2009.