However, that does not mean that it is always unsafe if you smell something and it does not mean that all sex toys that smell are toxic. Phthalates for example, do not have a smell, yet are considered toxic. For example, the material used in the Clone A Willy & Make Your Own Dildo Kits is a polymer that is safe, however, it initially has a smell to it until it is completely dry. It does what is called off-gassing, which is not an indicator of toxicity. However, many may think because it has a smell that it is toxic. In truth, it is the Amine within it ( a type of digestible drug that is used in condoms and the bags that are used today for breast implants) that makes it smell initially until it is done off-gassing.

Smell Study Debatable

A recent study released by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) on shower curtains received a great deal of media attention, which in turn gave erroneous information about phthalates. It was not shocking that they found phthalates in the shower curtains, as phthalate esters are a key ingredient in soft vinyl (often found in shower curtains). The error was in saying that it is the phthalates that cause the smell when in fact, phthalates are odorless. Even more interesting was that the CHEJ failed to detect phthalates off-gassing from the shower curtains in its lab test. The other issue in this study that was overlooked, is that phthalate exposure levels can vary and shower curtains and reports show that those in the U.S. are well within safe levels, as verified by data from the U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control.

Sex Toys Require Extra Precautions

Of course regarding the matter of sex toys, there is still not much information available in the mainstream media and thus caution should be exercised considering that most sex toys come into contact with some of the most porous parts of our bodies. This would make absorption of toxins quite easy and is why we ensure that products sold on our web sites are all considered within the safe zones that we have outlined through our research.

Lubricants are another issue that many people do not think about, let alone massage oils, creams and other products that are absorbed by the skin. It is why we carry a limited array of lubricants and related products as we are strict about what they can have in them.

For example, when a study was released asserting that Benzocaine (found in most sexual desensitizers) can cause irregular heartbeats and even death we pulled those products from our site and posted articles about it. While the study showed that it mainly involved leaving the creams on the skin for long periods of time or on large portions of their bodies, we felt that due to the fact that the creams are put into highly absorptive parts of the body that we would not carry them unless they had less than 7.5% as seen in the System Jo desensitizer. You will find that most adult stores still carry many of those products with no warnings to consumers about them.

Sex Toy Stores Typically In The Dark

Most people who work for sex toy stores do not know what are in sex toys and are often in the dark about what makes something toxic. Because sex toys are not regulated (they fall under novelties rather than medical devices by FDA classifications) many in the adult industry do not know what sex toys are made of (as the materials are often not listed on or in the packaging). Often the companies that do claim to be knowledgeable are making blanket statements as to whether a type of product is safe or not.

Common Myths

We have seen other web sites stating information that is simply not true based on the scientific research that is available. For example, some are claiming that if a sex toy is not 100% silicone then it is toxic. This is not necessarily true, as it depends on what other ingredients the manufacturer added to the silicone.

A while back a website visitor contacted us to say that our Sue Johanson sex toy line was not 100% medical grade silicone and was therefore it must have phthalates in them, making them toxic. We double checked our research and in actuality, while it is not 100% medical grade silicone, the products are made with other materials that are phthalate free and thus the claims were false. It is easy to see why someone might jump to the conclusion when you read a lot of the hype on other web sites, but it is important to remain focused on factual information rather than fall into the dramatic claims that many are now making. It not only hurts falsely accused companies, but it denies the public of accurate information and products that are perfectly safe for them to use.

Research Still Needed

There simply needs to be more long term research to truly make some of the claims people are making about adult products at this point. It is irresponsible to become an extremist in either direction on this topic. As we researched for our own resources, we found that many web sites had inaccurate or misleading information. This was not only frustrating for us as we sorted through months of research, but it was alarming that many of these web sites were making false claims and / or blanket statements about toxins in sex toys in such a manner that an unsuspecting consumer would simply swallow these things as the truth.

What Holistic Wisdom Is Doing About Sex Toy Safety

There are so many questions that customers have about what is safe and what is not so, we have and are continuing to provide research to help with the most up to date information. However, because it can be confusing enough just to pick out a sex toy, we decided to go completely nontoxic as well as green rather than make customers have to go through all of our research just to select a safe product.

Our hope is to raise the bar on this issue of sex toy safety and to provide truthful, responsible information to consumers. We have gone straight to the manufacturers as well as consulted with multiple chemists to find out about every sex toy we carry. We have researched each product to determine what it is constructed of and if it falls under what we know to be safe. We have also decided that until there is more information on some of the questionable materials, we are going to err on the side of caution and refuse to carry products that contain them.

We have pulled all of our questionable products (which could not be verified as safe and nontoxic sex toys) in addition to providing recycling information on the materials in the products we sell. We are also a green company that practices what we preach when it comes to helping the environment and empowering people about their health.

We have done this so that those who visit our stores can feel comfortable knowing that no matter what they purchase, it is safe for them to use. After all, having peace of mind when it comes to sexual health is what we specialize in. Sex should be relaxing, fun, pleasurable and we want to make that as easy as possible for you to enjoy. If you have any questions or feedback about this article, please feel free to contact us as we are happy to hear from our readers.

We have also founded a professional education association that helps raise the bar for everyone that works in the field of sexuality - the National Association for the Advancement of Science & Art in Sexuality- NAASAS

See our Sex Toy & Personal Lubricant Education Center

 

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