My £1.88 Shein bra left me with horror burns and blisters after it started to itch at friend's 60th

Victoria Heslop, 50, fears she has been left with scarring after she wore the disposable strapless bra in September 2025. She was enjoying the evening when she started to notice the bra was starting to itch a few hours into the drinks.

When the exams officer, from Durham, got home, she noticed she had burns and blistered skin where the bra had been and a few days later, went to the doctors, as it was infected and getting worse.

Her GP dressed the wounds, which took two weeks to heal, but she said she has been left with scarring. Victoria has contacted Shein to complain, and has received a refund but said that the fast-fashion brand is ignoring her emails.

She said: “I bought the bra for my friends 60th, it was just like two big plasters, that you stuck on to act like a strapless bra. It only cost a couple of quid, so I should have known from that that something might happen.

“During the party, it started to itch, and when I got home my skin was all red and blistered. It was really painful, so I went to the doctors and they dressed the wounds, and gave me bandages to dress them myself at home.

“It didn’t heal for two weeks, and I’ve still got scarring now. I contacted Shein and sent them pictures, they said they were going to do an investigation, and they’ve given me a refund, but I’ve heard nothing since.”

Victoria purchased the Waterdrops Invisible no-show nipple covers from Shein for £1.88 in May 2025, to wear underneath her dress at her friend’s 60th on a Saturday in early September.

The product consists of breast shaped plasters, that can be peeled off and stuck to your chest, as an alternative to wearing a traditional bra. On the day of the 80s themed bash, Victoria got dressed up in a brown polka dot dress, with the stick-on bra holding her breasts in place.

The event started at 2pm, and after a few hours Victoria’s chest began to feel itchy. She said: “It was uncomfortable, but obviously I couldn’t take it off until I got home.”

When Victoria got home, and peeled the bra off, she noticed that her chest was red, and blistered in some places. By the Wednesday, her skin had become infected, and was getting worse.

She went to the doctors, who dressed her wounds for her, and provided her with bandages to dress them herself at home. Victoria is a huge Shein fan, and has bought plenty of products from them before, without any problems.

She said: “I buy stuff from them all the time, and I’ve had no issues whatsoever in the past. I will still buy clothes for them after this, but I won’t buy any stick-on products like the bra again. "

She added that before the incident, she had bought some silicone nipple covers from Shein but now “won’t dare”, wearing them again. Following the incident, Victoria contacted Shein, who said they would investigate the matter.

However, aside from receiving a refund from them, she said she hasn’t heard anything from the Chinese fast-fashion giant since. She said: “I’ve had total silence from them, they’re ignoring my emails.”

Shein said: "Earning and maintaining the trust of our customers is paramount, and we are fully committed to ensuring the products we offer are safe and compliant. All of our vendors are required to comply with SHEIN’s code of conduct and safety standards, and must also abide by the relevant laws and regulations of the markets where we operate.

"We also work 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 time we have received such a complaint about this product and we are taking it very seriously.

"Upon being notified of the issue we immediately removed the item from our site as a precautionary measure and we are in touch with the customer to better understand the situation and provide support."