A huge health recall coordinated by the Directorate General of Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Fraud and the French Directorate General of Health has led to the withdrawal from the market of almost 300 thousand non-compliant condoms. The investigations by the Paris authorities have revealed a double criticality: on the one hand the sale of structurally defective and punctured lots, on the other the circulation of devices without the safety certifications required by the European Union. Since these are products widely distributed through e-commerce channels, the Transalpine Ministry of Health has launched an alert also valid for European and Italian consumers.
The 40 thousand condoms without CE marking and the Asian sellers
The first intervention involved over 40 thousand condoms marketed in around thirty main variants. Almost all of these products were sold via online shopping platforms by Asian retailers, although some packages filtered down to the shelves of brick-and-mortar stores and pharmacies.
The violation found concerns the total absence of the CE mark and any documentation of conformity with European standards, combined with the lack of packaging and instructions translated into French. Brands directly involved in the checks include Friday Bae, Okamoto, My Lubie and Sagami. For those who have used these batches without guarantees, health authorities recommend immediate testing for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy tests in case of cycle abnormalities.
The batch of 260 thousand pieces with holes and withdrawn from the market
The situation of the second block of devices is even more serious, which consisted of around 260 thousand condoms distributed mainly in the circuit of pharmacies and local shops. In this case, although these are packages with the regular CE mark, the analyzes conducted in government laboratories have highlighted systematic structural defects. In one batch a high risk of breakage during intercourse was ascertained, while in the second batch the presence of actual micro perforations in the sheath was confirmed. All pieces attributable to this specific recall were gradually removed from sale between the end of May and the first days of August 2026.
The rules for safe purchasing on the web
The alarm caused a stir in a country which has birth rates of around 1.6 children per woman, significantly higher than the continental average. To prevent further risks related to IT commerce, consumer protection bodies recommend always checking the seller’s traceability, the actual presence of the CE marking, the expiry date printed on the individual sheaths and the presence of instructions in your national language before use.
