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Body-Safe Sex Toy Materials: What to Look For and Avoid
How To
7 min read
Your body deserves the same standard you hold your cookware to.
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The sex toy industry is largely unregulated. Unlike food packaging or children's toys, adult products in most countries face no mandatory safety testing before they reach shelves. That means the responsibility falls entirely on you to know what you are buying. The good news is that the checklist is short, the science is clear, and once you know what to look for, spotting a safe toy from an unsafe one takes about ten seconds.
Sex toys come into contact with some of the most absorptive, sensitive tissue in the body. Vaginal and anal tissue are highly permeable - substances applied to or inserted near them can enter the bloodstream far more readily than through intact skin. This is not a hypothetical concern. A class of chemicals called phthalates, commonly used as plasticisers to make PVC flexible and soft, have been identified as endocrine disruptors: compounds that interfere with the body's hormonal signalling.
A 2004 review by Latini documented the reproductive toxicity of phthalates across multiple species, with particular concern for developmental and hormonal effects in humans at realistic exposure levels. A 2005 study by Swan and colleagues found associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and altered genital development. These are chemicals embedded in the very material of many cheap, soft, "jelly" toys - and they do not stay put. Phthalates leach out of the material over time, especially with heat or friction.
Beyond phthalates, many toy materials are porous - they contain microscopic holes and channels that fluids, bacteria, and fungi can enter and settle inside. The problem is that no amount of soap, toy cleaner, or even bleach can reach these internal spaces. You clean the surface; the interior remains contaminated.
A 2011 study by Braun and colleagues examining bacterial contamination patterns found that porous surfaces in medical and personal care contexts presented persistent colonisation risks that surface cleaning could not eliminate. The same principle applies directly to porous sex toy materials: even a toy that looks clean and smells clean may be harbouring a microbial load inside the material itself.
This is why a porous toy shared between partners - or even used repeatedly by the same person over months - carries a meaningfully higher infection risk than a non-porous one. The material itself becomes a reservoir.
Medical-grade silicone is the gold standard for soft, flexible toys. It is non-porous, hypoallergenic, does not contain phthalates, and does not react with vaginal or anal tissue. It can be boiled for sterilisation (if it contains no electronics), wiped with a diluted bleach solution, or washed thoroughly with soap and water. It retains its properties over time and does not degrade in the way that jelly rubber does. When a toy packaging specifies "medical-grade silicone" or "body-safe silicone," this is what you want.
Borosilicate glass is the same material used in laboratory glassware and quality cookware. It is non-porous, completely inert, and easy to sterilise. It is also suitable for temperature play - warm it gently in water for a different sensation, or cool it in the fridge. It will not shatter under normal use (though you should inspect it for chips or cracks before each use, as a chipped surface can cause abrasion). Glass toys also work with all lubricant types.
Stainless steel shares the properties of borosilicate glass: non-porous, inert, easy to clean, compatible with all lubricants, and suitable for temperature play. It is heavy, which some people enjoy for the sensation of fullness and pressure. Medical-grade stainless steel (typically 316L) is what you want, though this distinction rarely appears on consumer packaging - it is more commonly a feature of quality brands that disclose their materials fully.
Hard ABS plastic is non-porous and phthalate-free. It is used in the rigid parts of many quality vibrators - the external casing, handles, and non-insertable sections. It cannot be boiled, but it cleans easily with soap and water or toy cleaner. For insertable use, it is safe as long as the surface is smooth and undamaged.
The materials to avoid are jelly rubber, PVC, "cyberskin," "ultraskyn," "realfeel," and any soft, flexible material that does not specifically identify itself as silicone. These are umbrella terms for blended materials that are almost always porous and frequently contain phthalates. The give-away signs are a strong chemical or sweet smell when the product is new (that smell is the phthalates off-gassing), a sticky or greasy feel that does not wash away, and a tendency to degrade - becoming tacky, discoloured, or crumbling - over time.
The flame test is the most reliable at-home way to verify whether a toy is genuinely silicone. Hold a lighter briefly to a small, inconspicuous area. Real silicone chars slightly - leaving a small black mark - and then returns to its original form and colour. PVC and jelly rubber melt, deform, release a sharp chemical smell, and do not recover. If you cannot do the flame test (because the toy is already in use), trust smell and texture: genuine silicone is nearly odourless and has a smooth, matte, skin-like feel rather than a slick or chemically sticky one.
Silicone toys without electronics can be boiled for 3 minutes or run through the top rack of a dishwasher (no detergent needed) for full sterilisation. For everyday cleaning, thorough washing with mild soap and water is sufficient. Never use silicone-based lubricant with silicone toys - it bonds with the surface and causes degradation over time. Water-based lubricant is the correct pairing.
Glass and stainless steel can be boiled, bleached, or washed with soap and water. They are compatible with all lubricant types. ABS plastic should not be boiled - soap and water or a toy-safe cleaner is sufficient. Store all toys in a clean, dry pouch or case; silicone in particular will attract dust and lint if left exposed.
Velvet Rituals products use medical-grade silicone in all insertable and external-contact components, with material certification available on each product page. When shopping anywhere, the minimum bar is simple: non-porous, phthalate-free, and with a material name you can verify.