The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has released a new study assessing the safety of counterfeit textiles, accessories, footwear, and more. The “Unboxing Fake Fashion Unleashing Real Dangers” study was supported by the Intertek Group, a UK multinational assurance, inspection, product testing, and certification company founded in London in 1885, and one of the largest in its industry.

AAFA said the results reveal alarming evidence that counterfeit apparel, footwear, and accessories pose serious chemical and product safety hazards to consumers.

“Counterfeiting is not just an issue of consumer trust or brand protection; it is an issue of public health,” said Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the AAFA. “These results, building on our 2022 study, show that counterfeit products, often purchased through unregulated third-party marketplaces, continue to pose real risks to American consumers. It’s time to act decisively to safeguard consumers from dangerous counterfeits. We call on policymakers to immediately address the very real dangers of being trafficked online.”

The report includes four case studies drawn from failed products, a list of all products tested, policy recommendations, and methodology. Findings on the failed products include:

  • Of the 39 counterfeit products tested, including clothing, footwear and other accessories, 16 products (41 percent) failed to comply with U.S. and international product safety standards.
  • Of the failing products, eight, representing more than 20 percent of the total counterfeit samples, failed due to excessive phthalate levels.
  • One product contained nearly 327,000 parts per million of diethyl phthalate (DEP), exceeding the regulatory limit by more than 650 times, as outlined within AAFA’s Restricted Substances List (RSL).
  • Five products failed for PFAS, six for alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates (AP/APEOs), three for bisphenol-A (BPA), two for formaldehyde, and three for heavy metals.
  • One product notably contained 191 parts per million of lead, while another contained almost 10 times the regulatory limit for formaldehyde.
  • All hazardous chemicals found in the tested counterfeit products are listed as restricted or banned in AAFA’s RSL.

AAFA reported that at least 25 percent of the counterfeit products that failed were purchased on or marketed through the Meta platform. This finding suggests that consumers have a high propensity to purchase counterfeit goods through social media platforms, such as Facebook. This is one of the many reasons why AAFA has nominated Meta and Meta-related platforms for inclusion on the U.S. government’s Notorious Markets List (NML) for many years.

In AAFA’s 2025 comments to USTR on the Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, AAFA nominated several online marketplaces, including Meta, Shopee and Alibaba, for inclusion in the U.S. government’s Notorious Markets List. “These online marketplaces continue to host not only counterfeit listings but also a web of fake advertisements, hidden links, fraudulent websites, and more, representing not only intellectual property theft but also a real threat to consumer safety.”

The results of this study, building on AAFA’s 2022 study, show that “counterfeit products, often purchased through unregulated third-party marketplaces, continue to pose real risks to American consumers.”

AAFA said it “continues to advocate for stronger accountability across third-party marketplaces and social media platforms to stop the scourge of counterfeits that put consumers at risk.”

 Image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol