Sex.co.nz

If you’ve ever bought a sex toy made of jelly rubber before, you may have noticed that, when you opened the packaging, there was a strong chemical smell, akin to the smell of a new shower curtain.

That smell denotes the presence of phthalates, a potentially toxic class of chemicals used to soften plastics.

Why would you want to put anything toxic in your body?  That’s the question many sex toy consumers are asking, and the answer isn’t easy.

Phthalates have been around for a long time.  They’re found in everything from new cars to medical instruments.

Scientists know that large doses of phthalates will cause a number of health problems in animals.  They also know that phthalates can leach from a material over time and be absorbed through a person’s skin or mucous membranes.

What they don’t know is whether phthalates cause a risk to human health.

Phthalates are ubiquitous in the sex toy industry, because they’re inexpensive and create a soft, flexible, jelly-like feel that sex toy customers love.  The closest alternative, silicone, is much more expensive and difficult to manufacture.

Some sex toy retailers, including Good Vibrations and Womyns Ware, are responding to the controversy surrounding the material by refusing to stock any toys containing phthalates.

However, the vast majority of retailers continue to stock jelly-style toys, simply because they’re so popular and inexpensive.

If you’re concerned about phthalates, you don’t have to throw out your entire sex toy collection and replace it with better-quality materials.  Rather, all you need to do is slip a condom over your older toys.

In the future, you may wish to consider purchasing only toys marked “phthalate-free” or made from one of the following materials:

• Medical- or food-grade silicone
• Glass
• Elastomer
• Hard plastic/acrylic

Toys made of 100% medical-grade silicone also bear the additional advantage of being non-porous, hypoallergenic, easy to sterilize, and almost unbreakable.  However, be aware that these toys will cost more.

Here at Sex.co.nz, we stock a number of phthalate-free toys, including the Dr. Joel Power Probe, Relaxation Anal Plug, Ultrasoft Silicone Vibe and the GlassTIX range of gorgeous clear glass toys, including the Kingfisher and the Amphisbaena.