Table of contents

1. Safety Gate Rapid Alert System: how it works

  • Ruled by the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which establishes that all products placed on the European market have to be safe.
  • National authorities responsible for market surveillance in all EU and EEA Member States participate.
  • System works 7/7, 365 days a year.
  • Alert summaries are published on the Safety Gate Portal, information automatically available in 28 languages.

Learn more about how it works

Covers

Consumer products and products for professional use.

Excludes

Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food, and animal feed (which have separate alert systems).

How it works
Danger detected
National authority responsible for market surveillance identifies a dangerous product on the national market.
Notification
National authority notifies the measures taken against the dangerous product on Safety Gate.
Information Sharing
The European Commission checks and circulates the information in the Safety Gate Rapid Alert System.
Follow-up actions
Publication on the Safety Gate Portal
European Commission publishes information so that it is available to the general public.

Safety Gate Rapid Alert System: how it works

The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System’s functioning is ruled by the General Product Safety Regulation, (GPSR), which establishes that all products placed on the European market have to be safe. The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System is an essential pilar to achieve that.

The rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products was originally created under the General Product Safety Directive, adopted in 2001. Since 2003, national authorities from all EU and EEA Member States have been participating in the system. The GPSR requires that Member States insert in Safety Gate Rapid Alert System information about measures taken against dangerous products presenting serious risk found on their national markets and to report on any follow-up measures or further investigation results. Member States can also notify through the system corrective measures in relation to products presenting a less than serious risk.

National authorities can submit the alerts 24/7 and 365 days a year, and that information is automatically circulated to all national authorities in the participating countries. A summarised version of the alerts is published on the Safety Gate Portal and automatically machine translated from English to all languages of the countries participating in the exchange of information, as well as Arabic and Ukrainian, for a quick availability of the information to the general public.

Each national authority will then check their own market if the product is also available for sale there (in brick-and-mortar shops or online), and if that is the case, takes further measures in their own country.

The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System is managed by the European Commission. National authorities can request for updates of the information they have provided in the system any time. This could be a change in the description of the risk or the product, or the withdrawal of an alert. Only national authorities can request these changes.

The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System is a cornerstone to protect consumers from dangerous products and contributes to the quick withdrawal of dangerous products from the EU market.

To increase the national authorities’ capacity to trace and deal with dangerous products more efficiently, to allow efficient information to consumers about dangerous products and to facilitate the reporting about dangerous products by businesses, the European Commission has organised the Safety Gate in three interconnectable elements:

In addition, dedicated interoperability solutions are used to ensure that all components of the system can seamlessly communicate and exchange information. National authorities are able to both retrieve and submit data directly to Safety Gate, while online marketplaces, businesses, international partners, and consumers can swiftly access published alerts and integrate this information into their own processes. This shared system strengthens the collective capacity to identify, report, trace, and remove unsafe products from the market more efficiently.

To support national market surveillance authorities in the race to track dangerous products before they harm consumers, the following components are also available in connection to Safety Gate:

2. Safety Gate 2025 results: general overview

Quick look at the total number of alerts and follow-up actions validated in 2025:

4671

Alerts reporting on dangerous products and the measures taken against them

More details about Safety Gate alerts Go to section Safety Gate 2025 results in detail

Learn more about follow-up actions validated in 2025

Click on the map to see the number of alerts and follow-up actions validated on Safety Gate by country in 2024 and 2025.

Export the data to Excel

3. Safety Gate 2025 results in detail

Figure 1: Number of alerts validated on Safety Gate from 2003 to 2025

Number of alerts validated on Safety Gate from 2003 to 2025

Since the exchange of information started in 2003, the number of alerts has been on an ascending line. This was due to several factors along the development of the single market, such as the inclusion of new Member States to the European Union and therefore to the rapid alert system. However, the steady increase in the number of alerts is mainly due to the stronger enforcement efforts by all national market surveillance authorities, that results in a more active exchange of information about dangerous products found. Even during the COVID crisis, national authorities kept their market surveillance activities active to face the challenges. Moreover, the European Commission has also been listening to the needs of those using the system to make it more user-friendly and technically performant.

Only in 2025, a total of 4671 alerts were validated in Safety Gate. That means an average of close to 100 alerts a week. This total includes 420 alerts from the authority representing the UK in respect of Northern Ireland, who participated in the Safety Gate Rapid Alert System in 2025.

Figure 2: The three most frequently notified product categories (%) on Safety Gate in 2025

The three most frequently notified product categories on Safety Gate in 2025

Looking at the alerts more in detail, and in particular at the product categories of the dangerous products reported in 2025, the product category 'Cosmetics' is the most frequently notified product category on Safety Gate for the third year, representing each year around a third of the alerts validated.

The second and third most frequently notified product categories in 2025, are 'Toys' and 'Electrical appliances and equipment'.

  • 36% Cosmetics
  • 16% Toys
  • 11% Electrical appliances and equipment

The three most frequently notified types of risk on Safety Gate in 2025

The three most frequently notified types of risk compared to the total of alerts validated on Safety Gate in 2025

  • 53% Chemical
  • 14% Injuries
  • 9% Choking

Learn more about the most frequently notified types of risk

The types of risk notified in 2025

The dangerous products reported on Safety Gate can pose all risks that present a threat to human health and safety. This includes, for example choking, strangulation and damage to hearing or sight and hazards caused by chemicals. The system also allows for alerts that report measures taken against products with a security risk, electromagnetic disturbance, risks to the environment or other public interest.

Risks to human health and safety cover not only risks to physical health but also risks to mental health.

In 2025, chemical risk was the most notified risk category on Safety Gate, reflecting also the high share of alerts reporting on cosmetic products. A large share of the alerts signalling a chemical risk in cosmetics (77%) reported that this risk was caused by 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl) propionaldehyde (BMHCA, also known as 'Lilial'), a synthetic fragrance ingredient widely used in different types of cosmetics). BMHCA can harm the reproductive system and may cause skin sensitisation and is prohibited since March 2022. Due to the safety concerns related to this substance, this prohibition applies not only to cosmetic products placed on the EU market after that date but also to cosmetic products marketed before that date.

National authorities have also started notifying nail polish containing Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide (TPO), just after it was banned in cosmetic products in September 2025. This is a strong sign of how national authorities are attentive to any new restrictions on chemicals and act quickly after the adoption of the legislation to remove them from the market and limit the risks to consumers. TPO may harm the reproductive system, may harm the health of the unborn child and may cause allergic skin reactions.

Other dangerous chemicals were also detected in toys and electronic devices. Phthalates are still very often detected in plastic toys and other products for children. Phthalates may harm the health by damaging the reproductive system. Lead is very often found on solders and short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in cables. These pose a risk not only to human health but also to the environment as they are toxic to aquatic organisms at low concentrations and bio-accumulate in wildlife and humans.

The risk linked to general injuries was also very frequently found in the alerts validated in 2025. These ranged from accidents involving motor vehicles to childcare articles or toys that do not protect children adequately from falling or injuring themselves.

SPECIFIC HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS

  • BMHCA (Lilial)
    1278 alerts in 2025
  • TPO
    60 alerts since it was banned, September 2025

Choking risk also represents an important share of the Safety Gate alerts. This risk is mainly to small children, due to small parts in toys or clothing, such as buttons or decorations. As small children have a tendency to put things in the mouth, they can swallow the small pieces and choke. In the case that these small pieces are small or button batteries, this can be fatal, due to the chemical reaction caused by the batteries inside the digestive tract.

Figure 3: The three most frequently notified types of risk (%) on Safety Gate in 2025 by notifying country

Note National authorities responsible for market surveillance organise the sampling and testing of products. The tests may reveal that a dangerous product poses one or more risks. The percentages presented here refer to the share of each type of risk compared to the total number of validated alerts from that country. It is therefore possible that the 3 percentages in a country add up to more than 100%.

4. Further initiatives regarding EU product safety policy

International cooperation

International cooperation

In a globalised and interconnected market, international cooperation is essential to ensure products available on the market are safe and consumers are protected regardless of their location and who they buy from.

Since 2006, the Commission has been cooperating closely with relevant Chinese authorities responsible for product safety. Thanks to a specific interface of the Safety Gate enabling selected exchange of information, the Chinese authorities follow up on Safety Gate cases of dangerous products of Chinese origin and report back to the European Commission on a quarterly basis on the actions taken. In addition, an Action Plan on the safety of products sold online, signed in September 2023 between the European Commission and the Chinese authorities, shortens the reporting time of dangerous products sold online to 21 days.

All manufacturers wishing to export their products to the EU have to comply with the general obligation of placing only safe products on the EU market, either online or offline. Moreover, according to the GPSR and the Market Surveillance Regulation, the vast majority of products have to bear clearly the information about the responsible person in the EU for this product and its contact.

The EU-funded Open in a new tab.SPEAC project has been in place since 2019 to raise awareness and provide comprehensive trainings to Chinese businesses about EU product safety requirements.

The European Commission also cooperates closely with Health Canada based on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). In addition to the regular exchange of information between Safety Gate and the Canadian RADAR database, the two have been exchanging experiences and best practices on online market surveillance and cooperating on awareness-raising activities.

Every year, the European Commission and Health Canada organise a joint social media campaign to increase awareness among consumers on how to avoid buying dangerous products online.

Visual for Information campaign Where's your new makeup really coming from?. European Commission - Canada

On the multilateral front, the European Commission is actively participating in the work of the OECD Working Party on Consumer Product Safety. Safety Gate data is included in the OECD global recalls portal, which gathers information about corrective measures against dangerous products, including product recalls, that are issued around the world.

In 2025, the European Commission also participated actively in the development of the Open in a new tab.UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety and supported their adoption. In December 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution establishing the first ever United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety. The European Commission is cooperating with UNCTAD to produce a Handbook on Consumer Product Safety a practical guide to policymakers and regulators to help them strengthen national frameworks and align with international best practices, particularly in developing countries.

General Product Safety Regulation new roles and responsibilities

The GPSR set up, among others:

  • Stricter rules on product and manufacturer identification (both physical labelling and information requirements in online and distance sales);
  • Specific rules for providers of online marketplaces and for distance sales;
  • Compulsory cooperation for online marketplaces with the national authorities for the quick removal of unsafe products, for improved notice and takedown mechanism and design of their websites to display essential product safety and traceability information;
  • Clarification about the safety aspects of new technological products and the risks these may pose, including risks affecting mental health;
  • A Open in a new tab.new recall template and rules to improve the consumer return of dangerous products;
  • A new tool, the Consumer Safety Gateway, where consumers can themselves report dangerous products to the responsible market surveillance authorities.

A set of guidance tools is available on the Safety Gate Portal, divided into issues related to those interested in selling their products in the EU and those purchasing.

Detailed guidance documents about the new rules are also available, including Open in a new tab.GPSR Guidelines for businesses.

With the growth of purchases online, it is important to join all tools available to trace dangerous products for sale online. The Commission is continuously supporting national market surveillance authorities to tackle the challenges of online sales and to increase their capacity to monitor product listings.

Tracing dangerous products online

On 5 February 2025, the Commission adopted a Communication for safe and sustainable e-commerce. This communication outlines the main initiatives to tackle the challenges of e-commerce from different areas, including customs, digital services, consumer protection and product safety. In the area of product safety, it underlines the importance of the full implementation and enforcement of the GPSR. It also announced the first EU Open in a new tab.product safety sweep, that the Consumer Safety Network carried out in the Spring of 2025.

As outlined in the Communication on e-commerce, the Commission has made available to market surveillance authorities two AI-enabled webcrawling applications designed specifically to strengthen their market surveillance capacity. The eSurveillance web crawler detects and flags dangerous products already listed in the Safety Gate that are sold online or that have reappeared for sale at a later stage. The tool generates direct contact links for notifying the relevant online marketplace about these illegal listings, to which the marketplace must react within three working days. In addition, in 2025 the Commission launched an AI-based application, the 'Proactive web crawler', which performs automated searches to identify potentially unsafe or non-compliant products on online marketplaces and detects safety trends at an early stage.

Online marketplaces active in the EU have the obligation under the GPSR to register in the Safety Gate Portal and to provide there their single point of contacts. This is possible in the Online Marketplace Registration tool.

Further to this, online marketplaces are also encouraged to go beyond their legal obligations to further improve online product safety. Currently, 12 providers of online marketplaces that have signed the Product Safety Pledge+ have committed amongst other 19 commitments to voluntarily monitor the Safety Gate Portal and proactively remove products from their platforms that were notified there as dangerous.

The Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products

It is the role of the national market surveillance authorities to carry out inspections in their markets, depending on their own priorities and programmes set at national level. They also organise tests for these samples and evaluate if any of them are dangerous, and if they should be object of measures, they decide which measures should be taken.

The capacity to make inspections and testing is however not the same all over the EU. To test some products and detect certain risks, specific resources are needed. The Coordinated Activities on the Safety of Products (CASP) project, financed by the EU Single Market Programme, play a crucial role in supporting all national authorities in their market surveillance activities. It provides them funding and a structured framework to jointly sample and test products (instead of each of them individually), agree on common approaches and procedures, and share knowledge and best practices for a more effective market surveillance.

CASP is also a forum to discuss any product safety issue according to national authorities’ needs. The framework’s flexibility allows to include at a short notice any urgent issues, which is crucial in an ever-changing European context where product safety requires quick common action.

Since 2019 and up to 2025, the following has been organised in the framework of CASP:

  • 30 activities focusing on the sampling and testing of specific products, such as travel adaptors or baby strollers;
  • 18 activities focusing on horizontal issues related to national authorities' market surveillance tasks, such as the market surveillance online, actual risk assessments or standardisation;
  • Several specific ad-hoc activities, such as those focusing on slime toys, on the link between counterfeit goods and product safety, on the Corona virus related products in 2020, and on child appealing products.

The ensuing guidance documents provide useful input for the authorities’ daily work and contribute to a more coordinated action against products that pose a risk to the health and safety of consumers.

All reports and information concerning these activities are available on the Open in a new tab.Safety Gate web pages related to CASP.

CASP 2024: Coordinated activities on the safety of products in EU/EFTA countries

5. The Safety Gate Portal

On the Safety Gate Portal Open in a new tab, you can:
You can also connect to the following, depending on your profile:

Most of the web pages on the Safety Gate Portal are available in all EU languages, as well as Norwegian and Icelandic. The alerts are machine-translated into all these languages as well as into Ukrainian and Arabic.

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