Toxic Sex Toys From Amazon
As more people get comfortable with exploring the world of pegging, and sex toys in general, I see an alarming trend. People are buying sex toys on Amazon. Makes sense, as we are all seduced by the cheap prices and fast delivery. But there are so many ways buying a toy on Amazon can go wrong! Read on.
Even if you are shopping the best brands of toys, the vast majority of toys on Amazon are knockoffs or fakes. As a result, most sex toy manufacturers have many stories to tell about customers contacting them about a defective toy only to discover it was a fake, almost always purchased on Amazon.
If you are a manufacturer of sex toys and decide to sell through Amazon, you can do that three ways.
- Fill the orders yourself.
- Ship your toys to Amazon to fill the orders. They are placed on the shelf with all the other toys that have the same barcode. Many of these are fakes from China.
- Ship your toys to Amazon and pay an extra fee to keep them separate so customers will only get your product.
As a consumer, you have no way of knowing which of these three the seller is doing. Amazon doesn't care. They just go by the barcode. Once in a while you can actually get the authentic item on Amazon, but there's no way to tell if that's what you will receive. Most importantly, if you do get a fake, the toy can be toxic, and contain chemicals that have been banned in children's toys and pet toys. You don't want to be putting a toy like that in your body in any orifice!
A Condom Won't Help
In the case of dildos or other insertables, do not make the mistake of thinking that condoms will protect you. Condoms keep out sperm and bacteria. They are not designed to keep out chemicals. In that regard, I offer this anecdotal, but first-hand conversation. This man unknowingly purchased toxic sex toys and reacted to them with a burning sensation. So, he tried everything to stop the burning. He boiled them, soaked them in bleach, wiped them with alcohol, and put them in the dishwasher. However, they still burned when he used them.
Me: I have a question for you, if you don't mind. You mention that you tried many things to remedy the toxic toy problem - did you try a condom over the toy at any point? And if you did - was it to any degree successful in reducing the reaction? The reason I ask is because many sellers of toxic toys say just use a condom on it but there is actually no evidence that a condom will protect you at this point. So I was wondering if you have any anecdotal evidence one way or the other...?
Him: I am so happy you asked that question. I have used condoms on the toys I had problems with, and these are the ones that have a very strong "chemical smell" right out of the package. A condom(standard latex) will stop the bad sensations for maybe 5-7 minutes, then the bad sensations are just as bad as without the condom. I even tried 2 condoms, which gave me about 7-9 minutes before the burning began. I figured it was because the chemical that was causing the problem was leeching through the condom. After listening to one of your podcasts, now I know that condoms are not 100% non-reactive as is silicone. It just slows down the "issue".
Even if you don't react to a toxic sex toy like this man, that doesn't mean it's not a problem. Perhaps you are not sensitive in terms of your body reacting to the toxic chemicals. That does not mean that no chemicals are getting into your body, even with a condom.
A recent study found microplastics and toxic chemicals in sex toys. “Our studies indicate that sex toys can break down into microplastics and the materials contain phthalates that have been associated with health concerns,” said the researchers.
Play Safely
In conclusion, stay safe with your play! Shopping with Entice Me ensures you won't have to be concerned whether a toy is body-safe and non-toxic. They don't sell anything but. And every purchase helps support my efforts as a sex educator!
Here's an article, dated but still relevant, where I go into much more detail and link to additional studies.
