PARIS, France – Asian e-commerce giant Shein has vowed to “cooperate fully” with French judicial authorities following a public outcry over the company’s sale of childlike sex dolls on its platform. The company has also indicated its willingness to disclose the identities of customers who purchased such items.

The controversy erupts at a particularly sensitive time for the online fast-fashion retailer, which is preparing to open its first physical store worldwide inside the prestigious BHV Marais department store in central Paris on Wednesday (5 November).

“We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities,” Quentin Ruffat, Shein’s spokesman in France, told RMC radio. “We will be completely transparent with the authorities. If they ask us to do so, we will comply.”

Ruffat described the incident as “serious, unacceptable, intolerable,” attributing it to “an internal malfunction, a malfunction in our processes and governance.”

The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched investigations against Shein and rival online retailers AliExpress, Temu, and Wish for distributing “messages that are violent, pornographic or improper, and accessible to minors.” The probe was initiated after France’s anti-fraud unit reported Saturday that Shein was selling childlike sex dolls.

French media published photographs of one doll sold on the platform – measuring approximately 80 cm in height and holding a teddy bear – accompanied by an explicitly sexual caption.

In response to the uproar, Shein announced on Monday a “total ban on sex-doll-type products” and removed all related listings and images from its platform.

The scandal has sparked broader outrage in France. Left-leaning daily Liberation ran the headline “Shein in France. Who can stop it?” on its front page.

Frederic Merlin, the 34-year-old director of the company that owns BHV, initially considered terminating the partnership with Shein. “It’s despicable, it’s indecent, it’s abject,” he told broadcaster RTL, referring to the doll sales. However, he ultimately decided to proceed after being convinced by Shein’s cooperation stance.

France’s high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, condemned the dolls as “paedophile objects that predators unfortunately sometimes use to practise before moving on to abusing children.”

Finance Minister Roland Lescure has warned that he would move to ban the company from the French market if such items return to the platform.

Shein, a Singapore-based company originally founded in China, has previously faced criticism over working conditions at its factories and the environmental impact of its ultra-fast fashion business model. The company has committed to implementing “necessary safeguards to ensure that this does not happen again,” according to Ruffat.