Read all you have to know about sex toy materials in the Luvkis sex toy material guide!

Like any product on the market, sex toys are available in all sorts and sizes. Unlike most other industries, however, the sex toy industry is completely unregulated. Because of this, it may be difficult to find a good and body-safe toy without having any prior knowledge about sex toy materials. Some of us may not think about it, but picking a toy that has been made out of the right materials is essential. After all, you will be using it around your private area! Make one mistake, and you can easily irritate your genitals or even become sick. And of course, that’s something nobody wants! After all, sex toys are supposed to bring us pleasure, not to cause worries.

 

 

What else is important to keep in mind is that, even if you pick a toy made from safe sex toy materials, you can still go wrong if you do not use or clean it properly. This is why Luvkis has decided to bring you this detailed guide on different sex toy materials in which we’ll tell you everything you need to know. So before you decide to buy a new toy online, first take a minute of your time and read through this guide on sex toy materials. After that, you can be guaranteed that you’ll never again accidentally buy an adult toy that may harm your body.

 

Silicone:

This man-made material is probably one of the most common sex toy materials out there. It is non-toxic and features different textures ranting from quite firm to soft and squishy. Silicone can be used to make pretty much any type of sex toy on the market, which is why it is so popular. In the adult toy industry, silicone is considered to be safe and non-porous. The latter means that the material features no large pores that can potentially harbor bacteria or fungi.

 

 

Due to the high industrial cost of silicone, toys made from this material tend to be a bit more expensive compared to others. Nevertheless, it is a highly recommended sex toy material due to the fact it’s safe and easy to clean with hot water and a mild soap. If you want to be 100% on the safe side, it’s smart to pick toys that have been crafted out of FDA-approved medical-grade silicone.

If you wish to use lube with your silicone toy, remember to use water-based lubricants. Whatever you do, do not use silicone lubricant as the silicone in the lube can damage the silicone in your adult toy. If you wish to use a condom on your toy, make sure that it is unlubricated or lubricated with a water-based lube. In most cases, condom lubricants are silicone based which may damage your sex toy. So, be careful when using a condom on your silicone toy!

 

Stainless Steel:

Ah, who doesn’t love the shiny look and cold touch of a metal toy? Stainless steel (and aluminum) are two metals that are completely body-safe. Unlike silicone, stainless steel is extremely hard and has an excellent temperature conductivity. Sex toys made from this material are non-porous, durable, and can be used with any type of lube you wish.

 

 

Sex toys made from stainless steel are furthermore very easy to clean. You can use any type of soap or your liking. Additionally, you’ll be able to use boiling water to sterilize your toy if you want to be 100% certain it’s clean. Simply boil some water in a pot, wrap your steel sex toy in a towel, and throw it in the water. The towel is necessary to make sure your toy won’t get in contact with the actual pot while boiling as this may damage it.

 

ABS Plastic:

Another common material used in the production of sex toys is ABS plastic. ABS plastic, also known as ”hard plastic”, is a very cheap material. It is non-porous and durable which makes it suitable for clean usage. When applied in a sex toy, ABS plastic can either have a smooth or textured surface. Out of all non-porous materials available in the sex toy industry, ABS plastic is the cheapest and most commonly used one.

 

 

ABS plastic is furthermore toxic-free which makes it safe to use. When it comes to lubricants, you’re free to use any type of lube of your liking. Your toy itself can be easily cleaned after use with soap and water. Additionally, you can use alcohol to sterilize your toy. Just remember to never boil your ABS hard plastic sex toy in water as this is guaranteed to damage it.

 

Borosilicate Glass:

Also known as Pyrex, this type of glass is extremely durable and shatter-proof. Glass is furthermore body-safe so you won’t have to worry about using your glass sex toy on yourself. Just because Borosilicate glass is shatter-proof, it is still a smart idea to check for cracks or chips before each usage. Glass toys often feature a beautiful and artistic design that you do not find in toys made out of other, more common, materials.

 

 

If you wish to lube up your glass sex toy, you are free to use any type of lubricant of your liking. Toys made from this material are easy to clean with some hot water and soap. You can furthermore sterilize them with a 10% bleach solution when necessary. Some glass toys can also be boiled, however, this is not recommended in general as the toy may break under extreme temperatures.

 

Wood:

They might not be that common but they surely do exist; wooden sex toys. Sex toys made from wood are body-safe. Just make sure that the toy comes with a medical-grade coating and you’ll be ready to go.

 

 

Wooden toys can be used with any type of lube and are furthermore easy to clean with soap and water. And hey, for those of you who want to try a wooden toy, don’t worry; they won’t give you splinters!

 

TPR/TPE (Elastomer):

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or thermoplastic rubber (TPR) is a rubber polymer blend. This material features a high flexibility and is very durable. It is furthermore very soft and squishy which gives it a comfortable touch. Unlike all materials listed above, TPR/TPE is porous. The product can furthermore not be sterilized. Because of this, they are body-safe yet less hygienic as other toys made from, let’s say, silicone or steel. This material is relatively cheap to produce and the sex toys that are made by using it normally fall in the medium price range.

 

 

One thing you have to keep in mind is that this material can break down over time. When this is happening, they can stain and fuse together with the items they are touching. Therefore, it is very important to store them in their original box when not in use away from other items and sex toys. After you clean your toy, make sure it is completely dry before using it or storing it away. In terms of lube, you are free to use any type of water-based lube of your liking. It is advised to stay away from oil-based lubricants and silicone lubes.

 

Silicone Composites (Sil-a-gel):

Silicone composite toys are often composed mainly of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). The texture of this material is squishy and soft which makes it a preferable sex toy material. The material itself contains less than 10% silicone which makes it much cheaper to produce than regular 100% silicone toys. The main difference in quality is, however, that toys made from this material are significantly more porous. This makes them more difficult to clean and less hygienic.

 

 

Nevertheless, sil-a-gel is considered an anti-bacterial material which is free of latex and cadmium. It is safe to use yet still not a recommended sex toy material. When using lube, remember to use water-based lubricants and stay away from silicone lubes.

 

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride):

Generally speaking, PVC is a very hard and rigid material. This material can also be found back in a soft and flexible variant, however, this version of PVC is highly likely to contain phthalates which can be harmful to the body. Sex toys made from PVC are very cheap and durable. They are furthermore low maintenance and easy to clean. Because of this, it is one of the most commonly used sex toy materials today.

 

 

Although toys made from this material are cheap and easy to maintain, we at Luvkis would highly recommend you to stay away from them, PVC is quite porous and cannot be sterilized which means it is not really hygienic to use. Added to that, the material itself can be harmful to your body. If you do choose to use a toy made from this material, it is smart to apply a condom before usage

 

Jelly Rubber:

Jelly rubber is a soft material that is composed of PVC and often is treated with phthalates to make it more flexible. These substances are potentially harmful to your body. Nevertheless, this material is very commonly used in the production of sex toys today because it’s soft, cheap, and comes in bright color.

 

 

Jelly rubber is highly porous and cannot be sterilized in any way. Because of this, it is not a very hygienic material to use around your private parts. Although many women like the soft and squishy texture of these toys, we would not recommend you to use a jelly rubber toy. If you do choose to use a toy made from jelly rubber, just remember to apply a condom before usage.

 

Realistic skin-like materials:

In the sex toy industry, there are numerous companies that have patented their own realistic skin-like materials. Hereby you can think about RealSkin, Cyberskin, PureSkin, SoftTouch, and plenty of others. These real skin-like materials feature an ultra baby-soft and powdery surface that has to be cleaned carefully and taken care off regularly in order for it not to become sticky or gummy.

 

 

Although these toys treat you to a realistic touch, their quality is very difficult to maintain. These materials are furthermore highly porous and cannot be sterilized in any way. Please remember to use a condom with these toys and to clean them thoroughly after each usage.

 

Final words

As you can see, there are plenty of different sex toy materials to choose from when you pick your next adult toy. The cleanest and safest materials that you can choose from are medical-grade silicone, glass, steel, and wood. There also are the products that we at Luvkis would recommend you to use. Other materials such as jelly rubber, PVC, latex, and some realistic skin-like materials we highly recommend you to stay away from. These materials are less hygienic, porous, and can furthermore contain substances which are bad for your health.

For a fuller list that contains more than 100 different sex toy materials, please click here. If you have any other questions related to sex toy materials, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below!