What Does "Body-Safe" Mean at Lotus Blooms?

"Body-safe" has become something of a buzzword in the sex toy world. On the one hand, more and more affordable and body-safe options are popping up from even the most unlikely manufacturers. On the other hand, many manufacturers are throwing the term “body-safe” onto their packaging and product descriptions the way that food manufacturers slap "organic" or "all natural" onto theirs.

The problem is that just because they say it's safe, that doesn't mean it is. No governing body regulates body-safe standards or how sex toys are categorized, so sex toy manurfacturers can make any claims they want, whether or not they're true. They have, and they do. That means that even if you know all the rules and science, you could still buy toys that are unsafe from shady companies who call their products something they're not. Bummer right?

Fear not, friends. At Lotus Blooms we check all the products we bring into the store from a body-safe perspective based on the research and science available, and based on the ethical standards and history of the manufacturing companies. All the time and energy we put into that, helps us decide whether or not the products fit our high standards and deserve to be taking up space on the shelves. We're committed to offering you only toys and products that we're really enthusiastic about, so we do the hard reading for you. (You’re welcome!) How do we make those choices? Read on...

Our standards for safety

First, you should know that body-safety is a spectrum (like most things) and what we consider body-safe for our store might vary slightly from other stores’ standards. That doesn't make them wrong, or us wrong. It also makes a difference what the toy is and what it's used for. An impact toy is often going to be made from different materials than an insertable toy; and what's safe to use to make an impact toy might not be safe for an insertable. Yet both of them can still be safe to use for their purposes. So, the intended use of the item influences its safety just as much as its materials.

Most often, toys that we determine not to be body-safe are toxic toys (you’d think that would be obvious, but here we are). "Toxic" means they're made out of materials that introduce (read: leak) phthalates (pronounced thay-lates) and other toxic chemicals into the absorbent membranes of our bodies. Vaginas and anuses are lined with highly-absorbent mucous membranes- meaning that if you put something inside that leaks chemicals, these parts of the body will absorb them.

What are these evil chemicals, you ask? Phthalates are substances that are often added to plastics to increase the flexibility and durability of toys. In doing so, they also make the toys unstable, leading to off-gassing and degradation (in other words, weird chemical smells and toys that melt over time both in your drawers and in your body). There are many health concerns around the dangers of phthalates, though not all are conclusive. Some say they can mimic our bodies' hormones, which results in changes in our natural hormone production. Others have found links to cancer or birth defects. Either way, Lotus Blooms only carries toys that are phthalate-free. Call us crazy, but we're betting that you'd rather not have stinky, degraded toys to begin with!

Some toys can be non-toxic but still not be entirely body-safe. We don’t carry many of these either. Toys made out of porous materials (for example, TPR, TPE/elastomer, and phthalate-free PVC) cannot be sanitized, which means that the tiny pores in the materials can harbor bacterial, mildew, and fungus- not our idea of a sexy time. Everytime you re-insert the toy into your body, you reinsert festering friends. All that said, we do make the conscious decision to carry porous yet non-toxic toys that are used as strokers for penises. “HOW COULD YOU?! DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT PENISES?!” We do care! We love penises. Penises have only a small, often thickened, area of mucous membrane on the head, making them less vulnerable to infection than vaginas and anuses, and most of the porous toys are also for one-time use. Based on anatomy and the disposability of the products, the level of absorption and the build-up of bacteria is significantly less than in other, especially insertable, toys.

There are a couple of materials that we don't carry ourselves for insertable toys that you may see in other ethical, body-safe stores, that fall into a gray area of "buyer beware". One of them is wood. There are a small number of artisans making insertable wooden toys, and it's possible to make them non-porous and non-toxic with proper, and sufficient, sealants. However, you need to be able to find out about their sealing process in detail and know that they're reputable. You also have to carefully follow their cleaning instructions to ensure that you don't damage the finish. You might see wooden phalluses sold in markets around the world, and those should be treated as fun souvenirs, not usable toys. You'll also occasionally see stone toys out there, usually crystal or semi-precious gemstone. Even highly-polished stone is usually porous, and we don't really know a lot about what could leech from them into your body. We don't recommend them.

You’ll regularly hear that if a toy is “non-porous”, then it is body safe-- and generally speaking, that's true. But what about all the gorgeous leather goods we carry? While you can and should clean it after each use, leather is porous and is not sanitizable. So, using, say, a leather harness that will likely get bodily fluids on it, is recommended with partners with whom you are fluid-bonded. For toys like these, we also recommend reserving each one for use specifically with one partner- so that none of your partners have to worry about swapping sloppy-seconds. Plus, it's a good excuse to buy more toys!

Okay, so what IS safe to use?

Ready to hear about the good ones? The safe toys that we DO carry? Commonly found body-safe materials include silicone, which is kind of the gold standard and can feel both firm or soft and fleshy-- just be careful not to use silicone-based lube with it, as it can damage your toy. ABS plastic is also non-porous and non-toxic; it feels hard to the touch, so you'll more often find it in toys like external vibrators. Glass toys are safe as long as they're soda-lime or borosilicate glass, which are tempered and won't easily break (think of heavy glass cooking dishes). Stainless steel is another great choice that's easy to sanitize-- for example, our weighted butt plugs or Njoy's popular insertables. The bulk of our pleasure products are made of these materials. These are non-porous, easy to clean, and sanitizable. These materials also do not degrade or deteriorate over time (read: inside of you). This also means that your investment is going to last much longer, so the higher price tag is well worth it. Win-win all around.

Policies are part of the package

Even the best top-shelf sex toy is only as body-safe as the store's policies on returns and exchanges. We encourage you to come into the store, talk to an educator, and check out our floor models for the toys you're interested in, so that you can feel really confident about your purchase. We don't accept returns or exchanges on intimate items, because that's one way we ensure your safety. It might be tempting to save some money and get your package delivered from a place that's not obviously a sex shop, but third-party sellers on big-box online retailers like Amazon often accept returns-- and may re-package and re-sell those items, which could have been (gulp) used.

It's useful to know that if you're buying a quality toy to begin with, manufacturers will offer warranties for defective products. You won't be able to ship it back to them just because you didn't like it, but you won't get stuck with something that doesn't work-- and you don't have to worry about whether all of our products are really new and factory-sealed.

It's more than the materials

There are other factors to consider when it comes to intimate items and body-safety. Since we're focusing on toys today, let's go over a few of them that are specific to that:

• If it's insertable, does it have a flared base (especially important for anal toys) or a design that prevents it from getting lost in your body?
• Is it easy to remove from your body, for example with a loop or stem to help you pull it out?
• If it's got connecting pieces, for example anal beads or vaginal weights, is the material they're connected with body-safe (unlike, for example, simple string or cord)?
• Is the toy smooth, with finished edges and nothing that will scratch you?
• If it's for restraint, will it fasten snugly without cutting off circulation or risking bruising or damage if the bottom likes to struggle?
• Is it clear to you how to get a bottom out of those restraints quickly?
• Do you know how to clean (and if applicable sanitize) it thoroughly without damaging the material?
• Do you know how to use it properly so that you and/or your partner won't be harmed?
• Does it work for your body-- is it the correct size, made of materials you're not allergic to, and something you can comfortably reach while using it?

When in doubt, drop into your local education-based sex shop and ask lots of questions (or call, if you're too shy to visit). Believe us, we've heard it all, and we are more than happy to take the time to ensure you have all the information you need.

Stay tuned!

Whew? Still with us? Were you ready for that science lesson today? We hope we've given you a good idea about the care and concern we put into choosing toys, and also what you should look for no matter where you shop.

You are important to us. Your health and pleasure is important to us. It's not just we really, really care, which we do-- only die-hard empaths need apply to work here-- it's also that our reputations as sex positive, ethical educators are on the line. In this world of propaganda and agenda-driven, misleading or deceitful "facts", we strive to be on your list of reputable, trustworthy, genuine resources.

We've got more to say about body safety including the specifics of some of the materials we love and hate, caring for these lovely toys, and the safety of other products like lube and cleaning supplies. Join our mailing list to make sure you don't miss those posts!