A woman has claimed a tank top purchased from Shein reacted with sun cream, leaving her with ‘agonising’, vest-shaped burns and putting her at risk of ‘nightmare scarring’.
On July 18, Soraya Young travelled with her boyfriend George Harris, 26, to Marmaris, Turkey, for a 12-day getaway as a break from renovating their house.
The 25-year-old, from Nottingham, East Midlands, had purchased a £4.99 pack of three tank tops from Shein in April in preparation for the warmer weather, taking care to wash the vests before packing them.
The civil servant, who regularly applied SPF 30 sun cream while away, decided to wear one of the tops over her bikini to maintain a ‘modest’ appearance during a five-hour visit to the town.
The following day George spotted a ‘weird burn’ on her back, which the pair initially assumed was sunburn.
But the ‘tank top-shaped’ burn began to blister and ‘leak fluid’, Soraya said, leaving her in ‘agony’.
The pain was so severe that she was forced to consult a local doctor who apparently told her that the burn had likely been caused by the top’s fabric reacting with the sun or the chlorine from the pool.
After ‘sobbing’ in pain during her flight home on July 29, Soraya visited a UK doctor who prescribed her antibiotics and cream to soothe the burn.
Soraya Young (pictured) claimed a tank top purchased from Shein reacted with suncream, leaving her with horrific burns
Soraya’s partner, George, noticed the ‘weird’, vest-top shaped burn on her back
She said the burn started to blister and leak fluid, leaving her in agony
Now, Soraya fears she’ll be left with permanent scarring and urges people to ‘think twice’ about buying cheap clothes.
Shein said it was the first complaint of this nature they’d received, but that they have removed the item from their website ‘as a precautionary measure’ while they investigate.
Soraya said: ‘It definitely ruined the end of the holiday when it began to get horrendously painful.
‘I wore the top over my bikini to try and be a bit more modest. I didn’t notice anything until the next day when we went on a boat trip.
She recalled that George had pointed the ‘weird’ burn out to her but, assuming it was sunburn, she didn’t perceive that it was in the shape of a vest.
‘As the days went on, it started to get more and more sore,’ Soraya continued. ‘It started to blister and it was red raw.
‘When I was trying to sleep at night it was agony. It began to leak fluid towards the end of the holiday.
‘If I moved my arm, it made me wince so I was trying not to move my arms and head that much. It was difficult to even wear a bikini.
Soraya purchased a £4.99 pack of three tank tops from Shein in April in preparation for the warmer summer weather
Soraya was in so much pain that she was forced to consult a doctor while on holiday in Turkey
The 25-year-old civil servant now fears that she will be left with ‘nightmare scarring’
‘George picked up on why it is in the shape of a vest. Obviously with sunburn it would be around the sides like my shoulders and back.’
In pain, Soraya visited a doctor in Turkey and claimed he said the burn was caused by her tank top.
Soraya said: ‘[The doctor] took a look at it and was absolutely gobsmacked.
‘I was pretty shocked and panicked and I thought, “What have I done?”.
‘The worst part is not only the pain but the actual shape of it. It looks like I’m permanently wearing a vest.’
After a painful flight home, she visited a doctor who she says also claimed the vest was the culprit and prescribed her with antibiotics and cream to apply multiple times a day.
Soraya said: ‘I just wanted to get some sleep [on the flight] because I’d been awake all day but trying to sit back on the [plane] chair was absolutely unbearable.
‘I was sobbing, I couldn’t exactly take my t-shirt off in the middle of the flight.
Soraya said the burn and the pain it caused ruined the end of her 12-day getaway to Turkey
She is now urging others to ‘think twice’ before purchasing cheap clothing
‘[The doctor] said, “It’s obviously a burn”. I showed the doctors the vest and they said it definitely has something to do with it because of the shape it’s in.
‘I’m just paranoid about it scarring. It’s a nightmare.’
Soraya has since complained to Shein but says she’s yet to receive a reply.
The fashion lover is now urging people to ‘think twice’ before ordering budget clothing.
Soraya said: ‘I’m surprised because it’s such a popular brand. I washed the clothing before and I’ve never had any issues with it until now. I’ll never buy anything from Shein again.
‘The thing that worries me is lots of people buy stuff for children there. Children’s skin is a hell of a lot more sensitive. I was thinking “imagine if that was a child”.’
A Shein spokesperson said: ‘Shein takes product safety very seriously and is committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. Since becoming aware of this claim we have removed the item from our site as a precautionary measure while we investigate.
‘Shein works closely with international third-party testing agencies such as Intertek, SGS, BV and TUV SUD to ensure compliance with product safety standards. This is the first complaint of this nature that we have received for this item and we are taking it very seriously.’
