Within just a few days, the DGCCRF and the CNIL have successively sanctioned (or threatened to sanction) the Chinese platform, with potential fines totaling €190 million.
🔸 €40M fine from the DGCCRF
🔸 €150M sought by the CNIL
👉 Same timing, two separate legal frameworks: coincidence? Certainly not.
👉 A rare regulatory sequence, illustrating the growing power of French legal tools against the digital practices of non-EU tech giants.
⚖️ €40 million fine imposed by the DGCCRF
On July 2, 2025, the DGCCRF imposed a record €40 million fine on ISEL (SHEIN’s French entity) through a settlement procedure.
The breaches, based on Article L. 121-1 of the French Consumer Code, include:
- Fictitious promotions featuring strikethrough prices that violated Decree No. 2022-1145 of August 12, 2022
- Misleading environmental claims in breach of French consumer law
- Commercial information likely to mislead consumers
This sanction, applied under Article L. 465-1 of the Consumer Code, constitutes a record amount for this type of violation in France.
🛡️ €150 million fine sought by the CNIL
Meanwhile, on July 10, 2025, the rapporteur for the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) proposed a €150 million fine against SHEIN, along with a daily penalty of €100,000.
The charges, based on the GDPR and the French Data Protection Act, concern:
- Serious breaches of cookie consent obligations (Articles 82 and 83 of the January 6, 1978 Act)
- Violations of transparency and cooperation principles with the supervisory authority
- Illegal collection of users’ personal data without prior consent
This proceeding, still under investigation, could lead to a sanction comparable to the one imposed on Google in 2022.
🔍 Toward a French digital doctrine?
The SHEIN case may mark a turning point in the regulation of cross-border e-commerce.
Is this combined approach (DGCCRF + CNIL) the future playbook for tackling global platforms ?
France appears to have found an effective regulatory lever to control the practices of non-EU digital players and this time, SHEIN is taking the hit.
