Toxic Sex Toy Chemicals To Avoid

By Katelynn Anderson

Sex toys are a great addition to your love life. Whether you’re using them by yourself or with your partner, they can enhance your pleasure and let you find feel-good angles you didn’t even know you have! But these products touch vulnerable areas, and many toys are made for insertion. As a result, you should only buy products that you know are safe for your body. Put it like this: you wouldn’t want just any random person touching your delicates, so why would you use just any sex toy? We’re breaking down harmful sex toy chemicals to avoid.

The FDA Isn’t Involved

The FDA recognizes two main categories for sexual products: a medical device or a novelty. Medical devices go through a rigorous and expensive process to be labeled as such, but novelties don’t have to. That’s why sex products carry this label, even if they’re actually made to help with the user’s health. Kegel products, for example, can provide an array of health benefits when used, but they’re labeled as novelties to avoid the rigorous approval process.

The FDA does not regulate novelties. That means manufacturers can use pretty much any material that they want to make their products and not disclose this information, including harmful chemicals in sex toys. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Are There Any Safe Toys Out There?

Luckily, some toy manufacturers do care about the materials they use. They’re using more expensive, but safer materials, resulting in products you can trust.

Here are some things to look for when buying a sex toy:

  1. Phthalates-free labels: Phthalates are used as a softening agent in toys and are mostly found in soft jelly toys. They’ve been used in production for years, but studies have shown them to be a possible human carcinogen. Cancer from a sex toy? No thank you.
  2. Non-porous materials: If a toy is labeled as non-porous, that means the materials used don’t have teeny tiny places for bacteria to hide. When bacteria gets into these pores and can’t be removed, they can proliferate and find themselves in your nether regions the next time you use your toy. No pores means nowhere for bacteria to hide.
  3. Medical-grade silicone: There are so many toys on the market made with silicone. Some say it’s food-grade, some say medical-grade, and some just say “non-porous.” Food-grade silicone is approved for use with food because it doesn’t transfer chemicals when heated or cooled, but we don’t know what it does in the body. Medical-grade, on the other hand, is what is used for breast implants, so it’s the safest grade of silicone on the market for bodily contact.

But Here’s What You Don’t Want

Although studies on materials used in sex toys are limited, we do know certain things to avoid when buying sex toys.

If you see any of this information (or lack thereof), you don’t want to buy that product:

Certain materials: Toys made with jelly rubber, PVC, any plastic other than ABS, TPR, TPE, or elastomer should be avoided. Despite the disturbingly long list, many of these materials aren’t as common as they once were. The number one problem with all of these materials? Pores. That means they have plenty of places for bacteria to hide. Most of these materials also break down relatively easily, meaning they could leave pieces of potentially toxic material on or inside your body.

Lack of information: Companies that produce high-quality, safe products are proud to tell you all about their product. If a company doesn’t want to give any details, especially about materials used, chances are they’re using materials that you don’t want in your body. Namely, one of the materials listed above. Truthfully, you shouldn’t even have to search hard for information, but if you do, that’s a big red flag.

In short, the best way to buy safe sex toys is to do your research. That research shouldn’t take long – truly good products should give you all the information you need upfront.

Luckily for you, MMURE has done that research themselves. With a carefully selected, limited stock, our products are top-of-the-line, completely safe, and worthy of the hype. Explore our shop today and find your new favorite toy. Your body will be thanking you – in more ways than one. 😉

 

Katelynn Anderson