Purchasing chemical products online

Be careful when buying chemical products online (e.g. cleaning products, disinfectants or insecticides) – especially from online shops abroad or when purchasing via social media. These suppliers often fall outside the scope of Swiss legislation. This means that the products offered do not always comply with the current requirements in Switzerland and may be harmful to health. They may contain hazardous substances, be inadequately labelled or lack important safety information.

Swiss online trade

The online trade of chemical products via Swiss domains (.ch and .swiss) are subject to official controls. Chemical products may only be sold if they meet the legal requirements. This is designed to guarantee that these products do not pose a danger to humans or the environment if they are used correctly. The responsible enforcement authorities conduct spot checks to assess whether products satisfy the requirements of chemicals legislation and to ensure, for example, that full safety information is supplied and that only permitted ingredients are used.

Consumers have the option of reporting products that they consider unsafe. This is done via the website of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO): ‘Notification of hazardous products’.

Online shops abroad

Be particularly vigilant when ordering via online shops abroad and online marketplaces outside Switzerland. These suppliers are not subject to Swiss laws. It is therefore possible for products to be offered for sale that are not allowed to be sold under Swiss chemicals legislation. These products may, for example, contain unauthorised or banned substances, be inadequately or incorrectly labelled, or be sold without the necessary safety information. They may therefore seriously harm users’ health, for example causing irritation, chemical burns or poisoning, and – depending on the substance and exposure – long-term damage to health.

The import of products by private individuals for their own use is not subject to chemicals legislation. Anyone who orders chemical products from abroad for their own use does so at their own risk and should be particularly vigilant when buying from online shops outside Switzerland.

Social media platforms

Caution is also advised when buying chemical products via social media platforms, where products are sometimes offered by anonymous suppliers in closed or access-restricted groups. Reviews and testimonials may be advertisements and do not always reflect the actual properties of the product.

The FOPH recommends:

• Buy chemical products from commercial providers based in Switzerland
• Exercise particular caution with products that are advertised as especially effective, unusually cheap or as ‘harmless’.
• Critically question recommendations and testimonials shared in discussion forums and chat rooms.