Selling Adult Products in Merchant Center: Rules, Labels and Countries

Adult-oriented products are not banned from Merchant Center everywhere, but they are restricted, they must be labelled correctly, and in many countries they cannot be listed at all. This guide explains the rules in plain language and links to Google's own pages so you can read them yourself.

Last checked against Google's pages: 19 October 2026. Google changes these rules and country lists, so confirm on the linked pages before you decide. This is general information, not legal advice, and the law of each country you sell in also applies.

Where the rules are

Google's Sexual content policy sets the rules. The adult attribute explains how to label products in your data. The overall Shopping ads and listings policies apply on top, and Google's issue guidance shows how problems appear in your account. The sexual content page also carries a notice about ads and users in Russia, so read the notice at the top of the page.

What Google restricts

The policy does not ban these categories everywhere. It restricts them: they show only in limited situations, depending on the search, the age of the user and local law. Google lists three groups, with non-exhaustive examples:

• Nudity. People or representations of people showing exposed intimate body parts, including blurred or censored versions. Restricted to users over 18.
• Sexual merchandise. Products intended to enhance sexual activity, such as sex toys, sexual enhancers and fetish lingerie. Restricted to users over 18.
• Sexual entertainment. Online or offline sexually suggestive entertainment, such as strip clubs, adult film festivals and suggestive live streaming. Restricted to users over 18.

One rule has no exception: listings must not target minors.

Countries where it is not allowed

Google says there may be further limits based on your target country. It also lists countries where it does not allow adult-oriented content, including nudity. As written on the page, these are:

Algeria, Bahrain, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Oman, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

If you target one of these countries, do not list adult-oriented products there.

Germany: allowed with limits

Google lists Germany as allowed with limitations. In summary, it does not allow adult-oriented content that shows sexualized nudity of human, digital or artificially generated models, including cartoons, drawings, paintings, sculptures and anime. Sex toys must not be promoted in sexualized use by such models. Content must not show genitals or buttocks, or focus only on them, even when they are censored.

Other countries

The page gives no list of countries where everything is allowed. If a country is not in the list above and is not Germany, the general restricted rules apply, but local law can still limit what you can sell. Check the law where you ship before you list.

Label adult products with the adult attribute

Google's attribute page says to use adult when a product contains nudity, is sexually suggestive, or is intended to enhance sexual activity.

• One adult product in a normal store: set adult to yes for that product. Accepted values are yes, true, no and false. In an XML feed it looks like <g:adult>yes</g:adult>.
• Bundles you define yourself: use yes for the whole bundle if any product in it is adult-oriented.
• A site focused on an adult audience: use the account-level setting instead. In Merchant Center, open Settings, then Business info, then Edit business details, and tick Adult content at the bottom.
• If you do not submit the attribute: Google assumes the product is not adult-oriented unless your account is set as adult-oriented. You do not need to submit no.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements, Google says it will disapprove the product and tell you in your account.

Two things the attribute is not for. Do not use adult to show an age group, use age_group instead. Do not use adult for alcohol, use the product category. Both points are on Google's attribute page.

Keep landing pages clean

Google says you must not show adult-oriented products on the landing page of a product that is not adult-oriented. If you advertise non-adult products too, their pages must be free of adult content. If you cannot separate them, mark the whole site as adult-oriented at account level, or mark those products individually.

In practice, this means separate collections and pages, no adult banners or recommendations on normal product pages, and no adult images in shared headers, footers or pop-ups.

What happens if a product breaks the rules

Google says violations will not lead to account suspension without a warning, and that the warning comes at least 7 days before suspension. In other places it says most warnings give 7 or 28 calendar days, and it may skip a warning for egregious violations. Non-compliant products may be disapproved and will not serve. For repeated or egregious violations, Google says it may ban you from advertising with it.

To fix an issue, Google lists these steps: read the policies, update your website, remove violating products from your data source, update your product data, then request a review or appeal if needed.

Checklist before you list

1. List which products are adult-oriented, and in which countries you want to sell them.
2. Remove those products from any country on the not-allowed list.
3. Set the adult attribute on each adult product, or set the account-level option if your whole site is adult-focused.
4. Check that non-adult product pages have no adult images, banners or links.
5. Make sure nothing on your site or ads targets minors.
6. Keep your normal compliance basics in place too: clear business details, shipping and returns pages, and accurate product data.

Industry practice and our recommendation

Stores that mix adult and normal products often get into trouble through shared page elements, not through the product itself, such as an adult banner in the site header or related-product blocks that mix both. A page-by-page review before you submit your feed catches this early. A second person who did not build the site can browse it as a first-time visitor and note anything that looks adult-oriented. This is practical advice, not a Google rule, and it cannot predict a decision.

If you have received a sexual-content disapproval or a suspension notice, we can help you read it and plan next steps. We review the materials you share and do not need access to your account to start. See product disapproval help and Merchant Center suspension support, read Merchant Center account-level issues explained and healthcare and medicines rules, or browse the FAQ.

Sources

Sexual content · Adult attribute · Shopping ads and listings policies · Issues in Merchant Center