Soraya Young and boyfriend George Harris were on holiday in Marmaris, Turkey when the 26-year-old civil servant put on a Shein top over her bikini, she has claimed
A holidaymaker claims a tank top from Shein reacted with her sun cream, leaving her with horror burns that she fears may cause ‘scarring’. The company has launched an investigation and withdrawn the product from sale.
Soraya Young travelled with her boyfriend George Harris, 26, to Marmaris, Turkey, for a 12-day getaway as a break from renovating their house on July 18. The 25-year-old had purchased a £4.99 pack of three tank tops back in April to stock up for the warmer weather and says she washed them before packing.
The civil servant, who regularly applied factor 30 suncream while away, decided to wear one of the tops over her bikini during a five-hour visit to the town. The following day, George spotted a “weird burn” on her back, which the pair assumed was sunburn. The incident unfolded after a family described how they were greeted by “the most horrendous room and conditions” during an easyJet package holiday.
Have you had something go wrong on holiday? We’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected]
READ MORE: Birmingham Airport crash landing chaos continues as passengers face more delaysREAD MORE: ‘We were quoted £7K more for a holiday just because my husband is disabled’
But over the next few days the “tank top-shaped” burn began to blister and “leak fluid”, leaving Soraya in “agony”, she claims. Soraya consulted a doctor and claims she was told it was likely caused by the top’s fabric reacting with the sun or pool chlorine.
After crying in pain during her flight home on July 29, Soraya visited a doctor who prescribed her antibiotics and cream to soothe the burn. She has been left fearing she’ll have permanent scarring.
It is impossible to say what exactly caused the burn and reaction, as Soraya may have come into contact with any number of different, potentially aggravating substances over the course of her holiday. Shein said it was the first complaint of this nature it had received; however, the fast-fashion giant has removed the item from its website “as a precautionary measure” while investigations are carried out. Soraya, from Nottingham, East Midlands, said: “It definitely ruined the end of the holiday when it began to get horrendously painful. I wore the top over my bikini to try and be a bit more modest. I didn’t notice anything until the next day when we went on a boat trip.
“My partner said to me, ‘You’ve got quite a weird burn on your back’. It just looked like sunburn and I didn’t clock it was in the shape of a vest at first. As the days went on it started to get more and more sore. It started to blister and it was red raw. When I was trying to sleep at night it was agony. It began to leak fluid towards the end of the holiday.
“If I moved my arm, it made me wince so I was trying not to move my arms and head that much. It was difficult to even wear a bikini. George picked up on why it is in the shape of a vest. Obviously, with sunburn, it would be around the sides, like my shoulders and back.”
After a painful flight home, Soraya visited a doctor who she says also claimed the vest was the culprit, prescribing her with antibiotics and cream to apply multiple times a day. She said: “I just wanted to get some sleep (on the flight) because I’d been awake all day but trying to sit back on the [plane] chair was absolutely unbearable.”
A Shein spokesperson said: “Shein takes product safety very seriously and is committed to offering safe and reliable products to its customers. Since becoming aware of this claim we have removed the item from our site as a precautionary measure while we investigate.
“Shein works closely with international third-party testing agencies such as Intertek, SGS, BV and TUV SUD to ensure compliance with product safety standards. This is the first complaint of this nature that we have received for this item and we are taking it very seriously.”