The Ultimate Sex Toy Material Guide
Because of a loophole in how sex toys are classified under law, the sex toy industry is highly unregulated and anyone can basically use whatever materials they want. That’s pretty scary when those toys are going inside of a person’s body for consistent periods of time.
Luckily for you, I’m someone who’s willing to go out of my way to make sure you know the dangers of the material prevalent in the industry. While not all of them are bad, some can be incredibly harmful to your body if precautions aren’t taken.
So let’s see what materials are widely available to you…
Silicone:
Silicone is like the Citizen Kane of sex toy materials; it’s one of the most common and one of the best materials on the market. They’re non-porous, long-lasting and easy to clean. Hell, you can even boil these toys if you want to disinfect them that way. Silicone is in a wide variety of toys -from rabbit vibrators to butt plugs to cock rings. Also, I recommend that only non-porous materials like silicone should be used for anal play.
Cyberskin, and UR3 and other Realistic Materials:
These materials are mainly found in dildos and made to resemble human flesh, being soft and pliable with a firm inner core. You may want to use corn starch to help keep the silky texture and store these seperately from other toys. These materials are porous, so I recommend not sharing these toys. Make sure you clean them thoroughly after every use with soap and warm water and use condoms when you use these toys anally. Just remember that switching between vaginal and anal play with a toy can cause some serious health risks.
TPR/TPE:
The full name of this material is thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. It’s non-toxic, and wonderfully pliable, which makes for some great feeling dildos that are usually cheaper than your average silicone toy. You need to remember to keep it as clean as possible because these are usually porous material unless stated otherwise. Use an antibacterial cleaning spray or antibacterial soap and water before and after every single use. This material can’t be boiled or bleached without some bad things happening to your toy.
Glass and ceramic:
These toys are obviously going to be extremely strong and smooth. This makes these materials non-porous and very easy to clean You can bleach them, use soap and water, or even pop them in the dishwasher if you really want to.
Plastic:
This is most commonly found in bullets and some clitoral vibes. Hard plastic is great because it’s phthalate-free and non-porous. Clean it with good old fashioned soap and warm water and you’re good to go for hours.
Jelly and PVC:
Remember when I said that some material can be hazardous to your health? This is what I meant.
A jelly toy is fairly low in quality, hence why they’re usually so cheap. However, this makes them extremely porous, which makes them a bacteria hot spot. They’re also known for having phthalates in them, which is a chemical used to soften toys and allow them to bend. Phthalates can give off strong odors because of these chemicals, and are even considered a carcinogen, which can lead to cancer. Because of these harmful effects, several countries ban phthalates from items such as food containers and baby bottles, (yet perfectly acceptable to put into another orifice in your body. Go figure).
PVC is very similar to jelly as it has the same soft and pliable characteristics but without as many of the harmful chemicals. It’s still a wise idea to thoroughly clean and store these types of toys to keep them from getting tacky. I would even suggest putting condoms on the toy as an extra precaution.
You can find all the high-quality toys made of our favourite materials (no jelly) at Betty’s Toy Box. Use coupon code “LOVEVIBES” to save 10% on every order.
