The sex industry is one that is showing no signs of slowing down, with a growing number of people becoming open to exploring adult toys in the bedroom. Most of those toys are bought online, thanks to the privacy of the purchase. Unfortunately, this also leaves the industry open to a lot of abuse, with a booming market in counterfeit sex toys appearing online. Some of these are well disguised fakes, bought by unsuspecting consumers, whereas others are cheap knock-offs, sought out on purpose for the lower price. But are these fakes dangerous?
Knock-off sex toys are made cheaply, without the care that goes into the products from the well-known brands. Anything that is designed for insertion needs to be made of high quality materials that are safe for humans, and made in a sterile environment with thorough testing.
Counterfeit toys may be made of materials that aren’t body safe. A common material for dodgy toys is PVC. PVC sounds alright, but actually often uses plasticizers which phthalates. These can leak, leaving nasty chemical burns around your genitals and leaching dangerous chemicals into your body. PVC is also porous. This means the toy can’t be properly sterilised after use, making it pretty unhygienic. An unwashed toy could make you quite ill if used regularly, thanks to the bacteria left hanging around. A dead giveaway that the materials aren’t safe is if they leak oils. If you buy a toy and it leaves oily marks on your surfaces or sheets, proceed with caution.
Check the ingredients carefully of any lubricants that come with these toys too. Some may contain phenonip, which prevents the growth of bacteria. Sounds good for sterilising your toys, but it is actually a skin irritant. You don’t want it anywhere near your skin, especially on sensitive areas like your genitals.
These toys often get delivered to you in pretty unsafe packaging too. Real toys are made in a sterile environment to keep them free of bacteria. They’re then carefully packed up in sealed packaging, so they arrive to you still clean and safe. With counterfeit products, this care isn’t taken. There’s no way to know where or how the products are made, so they could already be dirty when they reach you. Many of these toys come in plastic bags, sealed with packing tape, instead of proper boxes. This leaves them open to all sorts of bacteria as they’re travelling to you.
The lack of packaging also raises questions about where the toys are from. If there’s no box, you could easily worry that the toys are of questionable origin, such as factory seconds, stolen items or even previously used products.
Counterfeit toys can have all kinds of nasty side effects and dangers to the user. It’s also a big problem for the sex industry, as they can’t much the low prices of the fake products, without compromising the safety and quality of their own product lines. Be careful when you shop online to avoid these dangers.
Knock-off sex toys are made cheaply, without the care that goes into the products from the well-known brands. Anything that is designed for insertion needs to be made of high quality materials that are safe for humans, and made in a sterile environment with thorough testing.
Counterfeit toys may be made of materials that aren’t body safe. A common material for dodgy toys is PVC. PVC sounds alright, but actually often uses plasticizers which phthalates. These can leak, leaving nasty chemical burns around your genitals and leaching dangerous chemicals into your body. PVC is also porous. This means the toy can’t be properly sterilised after use, making it pretty unhygienic. An unwashed toy could make you quite ill if used regularly, thanks to the bacteria left hanging around. A dead giveaway that the materials aren’t safe is if they leak oils. If you buy a toy and it leaves oily marks on your surfaces or sheets, proceed with caution.
Check the ingredients carefully of any lubricants that come with these toys too. Some may contain phenonip, which prevents the growth of bacteria. Sounds good for sterilising your toys, but it is actually a skin irritant. You don’t want it anywhere near your skin, especially on sensitive areas like your genitals.
These toys often get delivered to you in pretty unsafe packaging too. Real toys are made in a sterile environment to keep them free of bacteria. They’re then carefully packed up in sealed packaging, so they arrive to you still clean and safe. With counterfeit products, this care isn’t taken. There’s no way to know where or how the products are made, so they could already be dirty when they reach you. Many of these toys come in plastic bags, sealed with packing tape, instead of proper boxes. This leaves them open to all sorts of bacteria as they’re travelling to you.
The lack of packaging also raises questions about where the toys are from. If there’s no box, you could easily worry that the toys are of questionable origin, such as factory seconds, stolen items or even previously used products.
Counterfeit toys can have all kinds of nasty side effects and dangers to the user. It’s also a big problem for the sex industry, as they can’t much the low prices of the fake products, without compromising the safety and quality of their own product lines. Be careful when you shop online to avoid these dangers.
