What’s more dangerous, your sex toy, or your sex toy industry?
The news from Violet Blue today that one of the largest mail order companies in the U.S. might be phasing out sex toys with phthalates has got me wondering about where the industry is heading.
Possibly the biggest problem with the sex toy industry is the complete lack of internal or external oversight, and industry infrastructure. There is no real trade association for sex shops, and most retailers and distributors seem so busy competing with each other that they miss the important opportunities to work together, opportunities that would make them all money, and would make us more satisfied sex toy customers.
As a result, most of the information that comes out about sex toys comes from the better sex shops, ones that take initiative to ask questions and try and get concrete answers about the safety, functionality, and practicality of sex toys.
But in the end these sex shops, no matter how lofty their ideals are on paper, are there to make money by selling us stuff. And that makes them not the best people to be looking out for our interests.
So much of what you hear from the educated sex shop sales staff began as guess work by well meaning sex shops that simply have no evidence to back up their guesses. Lubricant with glycerin won’t necessarily give you a yeast infection. It’s not always true that you should use only non-alkaline batteries in battery powered vibrators. And there is simply no evidence that all sex toys with phthalates are “toxic sex toys” (a phrase even I have started to use). All of these things are possible, but it’s also possible that you’ll never get anything out of g-spot stimulation, but how many of these stores tell you that? What I worry about is this; what they aren’t telling us now, or maybe more to the point, what don’t they know?
Consider the current discussion on phthalates in sex toys…
According to the only government funded study on phthalates and sex toy safety, it’s basically safe to use sex toys with phthalates, as long as you don’t use them for more than an hour per day when you are pregnant or nursing.
It’s also the case that people have been using these toys for at least 30 years exactly as they are, and there's been no documented mass reaction, no curious links to cervical cancer, etc... This doesn’t mean it won’t happen, or that it isn’t happening and we aren’t noticing it. I’m only pointing out that we haven’t seen this development so far.
This also has me wondering what else we don't know. What about the environmental impact of those other toys, the ones that sex shops are touting as being better for us. Have they looked into the environmental impact of platinum cured silicone manufacturing for example? Maybe the small manufactures are fine, but there are now big manufacturers who are mass manufacturing silicone products. Are sex shops looking into that, or are they just tackling these things one product line at a time?
I don’t ask this question as an attack. For the record part of my work is in the sex toy industry and I am affiliated with a co-operatively owned sex shop that carries sex toys with phthalates. But I’m asking the question because it exposes how little oversight there is, and raises the question as to whether we’d be better off with more oversight.
Sex toys aren’t medical devices and don’t fall under the general purview of the FDA. But this doesn’t mean the FDA can’t take an interest. But should they? Would we be better off if the government got involved in sex toy safety? I mean, look what they’re doing with sex education, and condoms.
I think the answer is an industry that takes self-regulation more seriously. It might take a major class action lawsuit against a U.S. based manufacturer before the industry wakes up the vast legal liability lurking under the surface of this multi-million dollar industry. But I hope not.
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I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for just over six years, and have taken a broad interest in pharmaceuticals since then. My belief is that we could not possibly do worse than having the FDA mix it up with sex toys. What the FDA is adapted to do (for better or worse) with drugs and food, it could never do with sex toys. It would be a disaster.
I have to mention that a lot of those companies that are now trumpeting their purity were pretty slow to react to the issue of phthalates.
Hi Thomas!
Thanks, I agree with you completely. But as you point out, the manufacturers aren’t really doing anything, and even if they decide to set up some sort of self-regulation it would probably just be a whole lot of marketing. I guess in the end what I want is some science in my sex toys, I should probably start hanging around Environmental Chemistry grad departments with a suitcase full of dildos and see what happens!
Thanks for writing this Cory. You brought up some very pertinent questions surrounding regulation of the sex toy industry. When it comes to self-regulation, I think that asking million dollar manufacturers to dip into their profits for the “good of the public” would only fall upon deaf ears. I mean – to them – if it was that bad, the government would do something about it, right? Furthermore, manufacturers’ butts are protected from a lawsuit through the use of disclaimers – so they do not care. Cheaply made, environmentally destructive PVC products are what make them rich.
Since the industry is so egregiously standardless, I think that some level of governmental regulation would be a good thing for the public health and safety. On the other hand, name me a senator who is willing to sponsor a “safe sex toy” bill?
Assuming the industry isn’t going to regulate itself – and the current congress would never openly put the word “dildo” into a statute – I think that conscious consumerism is the best answer, or at least the best place to start. Many people are genuinely concerned about what they put into their bodies and when given a choice, will pick a “more natural” option that is probably better for their health or the environment. This is not to say that there is a perfect solution to the toxic toy problem or that any particular sex shop has all the answers. Just because information about toxic toys is slow in coming, doesn’t mean that responsible adult shops shouldn’t do the best they can to provide health conscious, environmentally conscious, and business conscious products.
I believe that individual consumers dictate the products that are being pumped out by manufacturers. Our economy is essentially democractic – we vote with our wallets. The most obvious example is how vegetarianism and organic farming have shaped the face of the food industry. When it comes to adult toy manufacturers – I believe the best sex toys you can buy for the earth, your health, and the community are locally blown pyrex Glass Wands.
Enlightened consumers can drive the market in a positive direction, but the first step toward positive change is awareness about what you are buying and who you are buying from. The only way people can become aware is to talk about it!
Thanks for writing this. I think you brought up some very pertinent questions surrounding regulation of the sex toy industry. As far as self regulation is concerned, asking million dollar manufacturers to dip into their profits for the “good of the public” would only fall upon deaf ears. Most manufacturers have their legal butts covered through the use of disclaimers, such as “not meant for internal use” or “for novelty only,” so why would they care?
Since the industry is so egregiously standardless, I think that some level of governmental regulation would be a good thing for the public health and safety. On the other hand, name me a representative or senator who is willing to sponsor a “safe sex toy” bill? I could see the media having a hay day with that one.
Assuming the industry isn’t going to regulate itself just to be nice – and the current congress would never openly put the word “dildo” into a statute – I think that the conscious consumerism is the best answer, or at least the best place to start. People are genuinely concerned about what they put into their bodies and when given a choice, will pick a “more natural” option. This approach has worked with the food industry and is already encouraging manufacturers to produce “phthalate-free” lines of products. Phthalate-free doesn’t mean PVC-free or environmentally friendly by any means, but it is a start.
There is no perfect solution to the toxic toy problem — but I do think that health and earth conscious adult shops should do the best they can with the information that is out there. There is nothing wrong with providing higher quality or “better” products – even if they aren’t 100% recyclable made from organic hemp and bamboo grown by a local unionized fair trade farmer whose co-op donates 100% of the profits to the rainforest action network.
There’s lots of talk about silicone as the best material out there, but it is important to note that there is a big difference between silicone/“mystery material” combinations and 100% silicone toys. That being said – I agree with you Cory that silicone production probably isn’t the best thing for the environment and that there is much research to be done in that area. Nonetheless, it is better option than PVC. Personally, I think that the best example of a product that is earth-friendly, health conscious, and also supports local communities is locally blown Pyrex Glass.
At a minimum, I believe that individual consumers vote with their wallets. Every time we buy something, we are collectively dictating the products to be pumped out by manufacturers. Thus, enlightened consumers can drive the market in a very positive direction. The first step to conscious consumerism is awareness – and the only way to become aware of issues such as this one is to talk about it! So thanks Cory for providing a space for discussion.