Injectable vitamins sold on Etsy containing illegal substances

Injectable vitamins are being illicitly sold on the e-commerce platform Etsy, with one seller even surprising customers by including loose erectile dysfunction pills in their orders, a new investigation has revealed.

Consumer choice organisation Which? uncovered multiple listings featuring generic, AI-generated packaging for products such as "Vitamin C 10 x 5ml" or "Multivitamin infusion 10 x 10ml".

Crucially, many of these items lacked legally mandated nutritional information, including ingredient lists, the precise quantity of active ingredients, and vital dosage warnings.

Which? staff purchased four products from two different vendors, noting that Etsy, a company known for handmade and vintage goods, failed to intervene in any of these transactions.

Both shops have since closed and Which? said it reported its findings to Etsy.

Sue Davies, head of consumer policy at Which?, said: "The dangerous lack of oversight on Etsy is putting people's health at risk and allowing injectable vitamins to be sold illegally.

"Buying these items is risky as they could be counterfeit or even if they are genuine, shouldn't be used without medical oversight.

"The Government and regulators need to crack down on these illegal listings and ensure that any sellers who break the law are properly held to account so they cannot continue to put people's health at risk."

Investigators bought injectable vitamin C, vitamin D3 and multivitamins from seller MummyWorldTreasures in October 2025.

Vials of the latter two solutions arrived in boxes that said "not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner", they reported.

The vitamin C bottles said the dosage should be set by a physician, according to Which?.

Three loose, unnamed pills also came with the MummyWorldTreasures order, as well as a note saying it also sells "100mg 'Blue' Tablet - Famous diamond-shaped" and "80mg Yellow Tablet - Slim, elongated oval", Which? added.

When asked what the received pills are, MummyWorldTreasures responded: "Free sample of Men's enhancement supplement to help with blood flow and stamina. Sorry I didn't realise it was addressed to a female. Apologies."

Lab tests revealed both pills contained an active ingredient used in erectile dysfunction medications: the blue had sildenafil and the yellow included tadalafil.

It is illegal to sell either substance without a prescription or a pharmacist's supervision and Which? reported the seller to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates prescription-only medicines.

The multivitamin box had also leaked, Which? said, meaning the contents of at least one vial had been exposed to air and contaminants.

It added: "The packaging said the products came from India and Spain, which means they are not authorised for sale in the UK.

"Either these items are real and illegally imported and sold, or, like some other items Which? has previously found on online marketplaces, they are counterfeit and therefore illegal to sell."

The team also ordered vials labelled as vitamin B12 from seller LuminaSkin.

They arrived in a box with only Spanish instructions, including a prescription drug warning in bold capitals that said: "MEDICAMENTO SUJETO A PRESCRIPCION MEDICA".

Many UK buyers would not be able to translate the phrase, Which? said.

However, investigators found injectable vitamin B12 listings have since appeared on the shopping site.

It added: "This shows just how easily these listings are slipping through the net online. Even when they are caught and removed, another listing pops up in its place just days later.

"It is extremely worrying that sellers are not being stopped from selling products that are clearly illegal."

A spokesperson for Etsy said: "Medical drugs, medical devices, and any other items that claim to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure or diagnose a disease or medical condition are prohibited on Etsy.

"The listings flagged by Which? are no longer available on our marketplace, and our team is actively monitoring for any injectable supplements that violate this policy."

An MHRA spokesperson said: "In the UK, a number of vitamin products are prescription-only medicines (POMs) and these must be prescribed by a relevant healthcare provider.

"In the absence of medicinal claims to treat or cure an adverse medical condition, vitamin injections are not necessarily medicinal products and MHRA reviews products on a case-by-case basis to determine if they are caught by the definition of a medicinal product in the relevant legislation.

"IV drips which are not intended for a medical purpose are not medicines, and these products fall outside the MHRA's remit."

MummyWorldTreasures did not respond to Which?'s request for comment and the company said it could not contact LuminaSkin because the store has been closed.