Which toys were recalled in the EU for phthalates between 18 and 25 September 2026?

EU Safety Gate logged 12 serious chemical-risk alerts on toys in that window, 10 of them for DEHP, DBP or DIBP phthalates in plastic dolls and other plastic toys, all originating in China.

What is the common risk in these recalls?

Excessive phthalates, chiefly DEHP, measured up to 49.5% by weight against the 0.1% limit in REACH Annex XVII Entry 51 for DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP in toys and childcare articles.

EU: 12 toy recalls for phthalates in Sept 2026: what importers must do

Q: What happens if a recalled toy stays on sale?

National authorities can impose withdrawal from the market, recall from end users, sales bans and border rejection, with penalties for placing non-compliant toys on the EU market.

EU Safety Gate logged 12 serious chemical-risk alerts on toys between 18 and 25 September 2026, with 10 of the 12 naming phthalates in plastic dolls and other plastic toys. All 12 products originate in China, notified by six jurisdictions led by Hungary (4), Poland (3) and Finland (2).

EU importers of plastic toys and dolls from China, distributors, retailers, online marketplace sellers and brand-owners must immediately check stock and online listings against the 12 alerted products, demand REACH Annex XVII phthalate (DEHP, DBP, DIBP) test reports from their suppliers, and verify conformity documentation under the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, or face withdrawal from the market, recall from end users, sales bans and border rejection of non-compliant toys.

Window : 18 to 25 September 2026
Alerts : 12 alerts (12 serious), notified by Hungary (4), Poland (3), Finland (2), and Cyprus, France and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) (1 each)
Risk : chemical, phthalates (DEHP, DBP, DIBP) in 10 of 12 alerts; one boron migration alert and one battery-access injury
Product family : toys, mainly plastic dolls and doll sets, plus toy slime, soft and squeeze toys, a skipping rope, an advent calendar, a badminton set and a football croquet set
Legal basis : REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Annex XVII Entry 51, 0.1% limit) and the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC
Official source : newest Safety Gate alert, 25 September 2026, Sport Me football croquet toy set

What was recalled

Date	Product	Brand	Risk	Measure
25 Sep 2026	Football croquet toy set	Sport Me	Chemical	Sales ban
25 Sep 2026	Badminton set	Sport Me	Chemical	Sales ban
25 Sep 2026	Toy slime	UBL	Chemical	Withdrawal from market
25 Sep 2026	Soft toy	Unknown	Chemical	Withdrawal from market
25 Sep 2026	Plastic doll	For fun	Chemical	Withdrawal from market
25 Sep 2026	Plastic doll	Hua Sheng Toys, Torch	Chemical	Sales ban
25 Sep 2026	Plastic doll set	Shyam	Chemical	Recall and withdrawal
25 Sep 2026	Advent calendar	MESOLAB	Chemical	Recall from end users
25 Sep 2026	Skipping rope	Mega Creative	Chemical	Withdrawal from market
18 Sep 2026	Plastic toy set	Unknown	Chemical, injuries	Recall, withdrawal and sales ban
18 Sep 2026	Squeeze toy	Funny Toys	Chemical	Withdrawal from market
18 Sep 2026	Plastic doll	Abababy	Chemical	Withdrawal and sales ban

The pattern

Ten of the 12 alerts cite excessive bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in the plastic material of dolls and toys, often alongside dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). Measured DEHP concentrations reach up to 49.5% by weight, with other alerts reporting 16%, 22%, 28% and 29%, against the 0.1% limit in Entry 51 of REACH Annex XVII for DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP in toys and childcare articles. The remaining two alerts concern boron migration from toy slime (1.067 mg/kg, against EN 71-3) and an accessible battery compartment (against EN 62115).

All 12 products originate in China, sold under nine brands (Sport Me, UBL, For fun, Hua Sheng Toys, Torch, Shyam, MESOLAB, Mega Creative, Funny Toys, Abababy) plus two unbranded lines. An ECHA Enforcement Forum REF-5 project found 20 to 25% non-compliance for phthalates in toys, the persistent root cause behind this wave rather than a single supplier fault.

Who is exposed

EU importers of plastic toys and dolls from China, toy distributors and retailers, online marketplace toy sellers, and brand-owners placing plastic toys on the EU market are directly exposed, because every alert in this wave was already met with a sales ban, a withdrawal or a recall. The two unbranded alerts show the risk is not limited to recognised brands: marketplace sellers importing unbranded plastic dolls face the same obligations as named brand-owners.

What to check now

Check stock and online listings against the 12 alerted products and their brands, and remove any matching units.
Demand REACH Annex XVII phthalate (DEHP, DBP, DIBP) test reports from suppliers confirming the 0.1% limit.
Verify the technical file and EU conformity documentation under the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC.
Confirm EN 71-3 migration testing for toy slime and boron, and EN 62115 battery-compartment security for toys with batteries.
Review labelling and safety warnings on plastic dolls and plastic toy sets.
Trace the country of origin and the supplier for every plastic toy line, since all 12 alerts point to Chinese origin.

Continuous per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces these Safety Gate waves the moment each alert publishes.

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