WHAT UK PRODUCT SAFETY TESTS FOUND

Dress up,
safely.

A costume is a toy, and the toy rules apply.

A rail of children's fancy dress costumes, including a witch's cape, a pumpkin outfit and a dinosaur suit, hanging in a bright room — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Buy from trusted sellers
Check cords and trims
Keep away from flames
Costume safety in three lines

Children's fancy dress costumes are covered by the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, including tests for how easily they burn. Recent government testing found many cheap costumes sold online did not meet them.

Updated 15 October 2026

THE SHORT ANSWER

Most failures
are easy to spot.

Missing labels and long cords were the commonest problems.
Both can be checked before you buy.

THE TESTS

More than 80% failed

In 2024 the Office for Product Safety and Standards tested 128 costumes for under-sevens bought from online marketplaces. More than 80% failed basic safety tests, and all failures were removed from sale.

See the results

THE LABEL

Look for the mark and the cords

OPSS advice is to check the label for the safety marking, read all the safety information, and look for laces, drawstrings and trailing parts on clothing for small children.

Checks before you buy

FLAMES

Take care near fires

OPSS urges families to take care near fires, particularly open flames, such as candles on tables or inside carved pumpkins.

See the numbers

General information only, not professional safety advice. If someone is in immediate danger, call the emergency services.

THE 2024 TEST RESULTS

What failed
most often?

Pick a safety test to see how the children's Halloween costumes did in OPSS testing in June 2024. The bar shows how common failure was.

OPSS chose products that often appear on recall lists, with low prices or poor reviews, so the results are not a national estimate for all costumes sold online.

Test check

Choose a testAny basic safety testCords and drawstringsLabellingFlammability

Any basic safety testOver 80% failed

Of 128 costumes aimed at under-sevens, more than 80% failed at least one basic safety test, including tests for flammability and strangulation from cords.

Cords and drawstrings61 of 74 failed

Tested against BS EN 14682:2014. Head and neck drawstrings or cords can strangle or trap children, so check for long cords.

Labelling98 of 128 failed

Labels carry the safety marking and warnings. OPSS advises reading all the safety information on the label and online.

Flammability28 of 128 failed

Tested against BS EN 71-2:2020, the toy flammability standard. 98 passed and 2 were inconclusive.

Source: OPSS, Children's Halloween costume warning (GOV.UK, October 2024, corrected November 2024).

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Cheap online costumes,
high failure rates.

From the OPSS test purchase programme,
June 2024.

80%+

Costumes failing basic safety tests

Out of 128 costumes for children under seven, bought from a range of online marketplaces and tested against the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011.

COSTUMES TESTED · OPSS

61 of 74

Costumes failing the cords test

The highest failure rate of the three tests, for cords and drawstrings, which can strangle or entrap children.

CORDS · OPSS

Costumes for sale in Great Britain can show the UKCA or CE marking: GOV.UK says the UK continues to recognise CE marking alongside UKCA for the GB market.

A carved pumpkin lantern glowing with a battery tea light on a doorstep at dusk — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FOUR CHECKS BEFORE YOU BUY

A minute of checking,
a safer party.

These checks come from OPSS's costume safety advice.

Buy from a trusted seller
If you are shopping online and it is a third-party seller, find out as much about them as you can. Read other customers' reviews.
Read the label
Look for the safety marking and read all the safety information on the label and online.
Check for cords and trailing parts
On clothing for small children, check laces, drawstrings and small, trailing or floaty parts that could catch or tangle.
Check it has not been recalled
Search the government's product recall site, and report any safety problem to the seller and your local Citizens Advice.

IF CLOTHING CATCHES FIRE

Cool the burn,
then get help.

The NHS says to hold a burn under cool running water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible, remove clothing or jewellery near the area unless it is stuck, then cover it loosely with cling film.

Call 999 or go to A&E for a burn that is very large or deep, or on the face, genitals or bottom. Do not put creams, oils or butter on a burn, and call 111 for advice about a child under 5.

Hands turning a child's costume inside out to look at the sewn-in care label and the drawstring at the neck — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Questions

Questions people ask

Are fancy dress costumes classed as toys?

Yes. GOV.UK notes that children's fancy dress costumes are covered by the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, and are tested against EN 71-2, the toy flammability standard.

What did the 2024 government tests find?

OPSS tested 128 Halloween costumes for under-sevens from online marketplaces. More than 80% failed basic safety tests, including flammability and strangulation from cords, and all those that failed were removed from sale.

Should a costume have a CE or UKCA mark?

OPSS advises looking for the safety marking on the label. GOV.UK says the UK continues to recognise the CE marking alongside the UKCA marking for products sold in Great Britain.

Why are cords on costumes a problem?

OPSS warns that head and neck drawstrings or cords can strangle or entrap children. In its 2024 tests, 61 of the 74 costumes checked failed the cords and drawstrings standard.

What should I do if a child's costume catches fire?

After the flames are out, the NHS says to cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes and call 999 or go to A&E if it is large, deep or on the face. Call 111 for advice about a child under 5.

Dress up,
safely.