Global Headline

The US Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a divided ruling on May 7, 2026, holding that the 10 percent across-the-board tariffs imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 exceeded presidential statutory authority. The court limited injunctive relief to the three importer plaintiffs before it, leaving the broader tariff regime in place for all other traders. The government has already appealed, and the case is expected to reach higher courts. For B2B buyers in the adult product sector, this means cost uncertainty persists. If you source from China and your shipments are not part of the plaintiff group, you are still paying the 10 percent tariff. The ruling signals potential future refunds if the Supreme Court ultimately upholds the CIT’s reasoning, but that timeline stretches well into 2027. Importers should not count on immediate relief. Meanwhile, the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) closed its consultation on a new product safety framework on June 23, 2026. The proposed regime will replace the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and introduce stricter requirements for non-UK manufacturers. Adult product importers targeting the UK market must prepare for a new registration and labeling landscape that may diverge from EU rules even further.

Regional Briefing

Europe remains the most regulated market for adult products. The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is now actively enforced, and economic operators without a responsible person established in the EU face listing removals and customs holds. The GPSR requires that every product placed on the EU market has an identifiable economic operator within the Union who can be held accountable for safety compliance. On February 4, 2026, ECHA expanded the REACH SVHC Candidate List to 253 substances, adding n-hexane and bisphenol AF and its salts. This matters for silicone-based and plastic-component adult products because suppliers must now disclose the presence of these substances if they exceed 0.1 percent w/w. The UK is moving in parallel but on its own track. The OPSS consultation proposes a modernized core product safety framework that would replace GPSR 2005. The government has signaled that indefinite recognition of CE marking will remain for now, but new UK-specific labeling requirements are likely by late 2026. In Southeast Asia, the adult product market continues to grow at a steady pace, with regional estimates placing the 2026 market size between 1.5 and 2.0 billion dollars. Thailand and Vietnam lead in e-commerce adoption, while Indonesia’s import licensing remains the most complex barrier. B2B buyers should note that Indonesia requires a local distributor license for all adult wellness imports, and customs inspection rates for these categories have increased this quarter. The Middle East presents a mixed picture. Saudi Arabia’s SFDA has tightened its classification of wellness devices, requiring that products with therapeutic claims meet medical device registration standards. The UAE remains more open, but labeling in Arabic is now mandatory for all consumer products entering Dubai retail channels. Latin America is seeing increased enforcement from Brazil’s ANVISA, which has stepped up sampling of imported adult products for phthalate content. Foreign companies cannot register directly with ANVISA and must appoint a local importer or authorized representative, a process that now takes 90 to 120 days on average.

Compliance Flash

The most urgent compliance issue for B2B buyers right now is the REACH SVHC 253 update. ECHA announced on February 4, 2026, that n-hexane and bisphenol AF are now on the Candidate List. If your products contain silicone softeners, plasticizers, or certain adhesives, you need updated Safety Data Sheets from your suppliers. The EU Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 entered into force in January 2026 and introduced new chemical migration limits and digital product passport requirements. While adult products are not classified as toys, regulators in Germany and France have increasingly applied toy safety standards to products with dual-use appeal. The regulation states that “products which are likely to be used by children due to their characteristics shall meet the requirements of this Regulation.” This means that colorful, small-sized, or cartoon-themed adult products risk reclassification. For the UK, the OPSS consultation on the new product safety framework closed on June 23, 2026. The framework will introduce a new duty for online marketplaces to verify product safety before listing, which will directly affect dropshipping and wholesale listings on platforms like Amazon UK and eBay. The California Proposition 65 warning requirements remain in effect for all products sold in California. The 2025 safe harbor warning list now includes specific chemicals commonly found in PVC and soft-touch plastics. B2B buyers distributing to the US West Coast must ensure their packaging carries the updated warning language.

A Cross-Border Dilemma

A mid-sized US distributor based in Los Angeles recently had a 5,000-unit shipment of silicone-based products held at the Port of Long Beach. The customs hold was triggered not by tariff disputes but by an outdated Prop 65 warning label. The label listed the old chemical name format that OEHHA replaced in January 2025. The distributor had to pay 12,000 dollars in demurrage and storage fees while the manufacturer in China reprinted and air-freighted corrected packaging inserts. The total cost of the delay exceeded the profit margin on the entire shipment. This case illustrates how a small compliance detail can erase an entire order’s profitability.

S-HANDE Response

S-HANDE is actively responding to these regulatory shifts. For EU-bound orders, we now provide GPSR-compliant packaging that includes the required responsible person contact information and digital product passport QR codes. Our REACH compliance documentation has been updated to reflect the SVHC 253 list, and we provide full material disclosure reports for all silicone and plastic components. For US buyers, we offer Prop 65-compliant labeling as a standard option on all bulk orders, with the updated warning language that meets OEHHA’s 2025 safe harbor requirements. We are also monitoring the UK OPSS consultation outcomes and will introduce UK-specific labeling templates once the new framework is finalized. S-HANDE will attend eroFame Amsterdam 2026 from September 30 to October 2, where our team will meet with European distributors and compliance consultants to align on the upcoming EU and UK regulatory changes.

Action Checklist for B2B Buyers

First, request updated REACH SVHC 253 compliance declarations from all your Chinese suppliers before placing Q3 orders. If your supplier cannot provide a signed declaration within 48 hours, consider that a red flag. Second, audit your US-bound packaging for Prop 65 warning accuracy. The OEHHA safe harbor list changed in 2025, and outdated labels are now a primary cause of customs delays at California ports. Third, verify whether your UK listings have a responsible economic operator identified. If you are selling on Amazon UK or through a UK distributor, confirm that your GPSR documentation is ready and that you have a plan for the new OPSS framework expected in late 2026. Have you asked your freight forwarder whether they are tracking the Section 122 appeal timeline, or are you assuming your tariff costs will stay fixed through the end of the year?

English Summary for Meta

This article covers the latest global regulatory developments affecting adult product B2B buyers, including the US CIT Section 122 tariff ruling, EU REACH SVHC 253 update, UK OPSS product safety framework consultation, and regional compliance trends across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. It includes actionable steps for wholesalers and importers to manage compliance risk.