Shopify's Trust & Safety team uses automated scanning to detect product listings that might violate their Acceptable Use Policy. Many merchants are suspended not because of intentional violations, but because product descriptions copied from a supplier contained flagged language.
Understanding which keyword categories trigger these flags, and what compliant alternatives exist, is one of the fastest ways to reduce your suspension risk.
Medical and Health Claims
This is the single largest category of keyword violations on Shopify. Language that implies a product can diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a disease or medical condition is prohibited by both Shopify's AUP and FDA regulations in the United States.
The violation is often unintentional. A supplement seller copying a supplier's product description might include 'supports healthy blood sugar levels' which, depending on how it's phrased, can cross into a disease claim. A beauty product claiming to 'eliminate acne' is making a drug claim rather than a cosmetic claim.
- Prohibited: 'cures diabetes', 'treats anxiety', 'eliminates chronic pain', 'kills cancer cells'
- Prohibited: 'FDA approved' (unless actually approved, most supplements are not)
- Prohibited: 'clinically proven to treat [condition]'
- Compliant: 'supports overall wellness', 'promotes relaxation', 'formulated for sensitive skin'
- Compliant: 'customers report improved energy levels' (testimonial format, not a claim)
Age-Restricted Product Language
Products that are legal but age-restricted, such as alcohol, tobacco accessories, or adult content, require specific age verification flows that most Shopify stores don't have properly implemented. Selling these products without age verification, or using language that markets them to younger audiences, is a violation.
Even products adjacent to these categories can trigger flags. Vape accessories, certain herbal products marketed for smoking, and novelty items with adult themes all fall into gray zones that Shopify's automated systems flag for human review.
Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Language
Using brand names you don't have a license to use, even in product descriptions or meta tags, is a policy violation and a legal liability. Phrases like 'Nike style' or 'Rolex quality' in your listings signal potential trademark infringement to Shopify's systems.
This includes using brand names in your store's SEO meta descriptions to capture search traffic. Even if your product is legitimately inspired by a design, using the brand name in your listings creates risk.
- Prohibited: '[Brand Name] style', '[Brand Name] inspired', 'looks like [Brand Name]'
- Prohibited: Using competitor brand names in your own store's meta tags
- Prohibited: 'replica', 'dupe', or 'knockoff', even if the product is legal
- Compliant: Describe the product's own features without referencing other brands
Fulfillment and Delivery Guarantees
Listing specific delivery windows you cannot consistently deliver is a violation of Shopify's seller standards and a common source of chargebacks. 'Delivered in 3-5 days' when your supplier ships from China with 15-20 day transit times is both a policy violation and a chargeback magnet.
This seems minor but Shopify's risk algorithms cross-reference your listed shipping times against your actual fulfillment data. If your average delivery time significantly exceeds what you advertise, it flags an expectation mismatch that contributes to your overall risk score.
How to Audit Your Store
Go through every product description, meta description, and page copy and ask: does this claim something I can prove, and does it avoid the categories above? Pay particular attention to descriptions imported from suppliers, which often contain pre-written language optimized for search traffic rather than policy compliance.
Reinstate's keyword scanner checks all of your active product listings against Shopify's prohibited language categories as part of your store health scan. When a listing is flagged, you get the specific product and the specific phrase, not just a generic warning.