Body-safe materials explained

Material is the one specification worth reading before price, colour or shape. It decides whether a toy can be properly cleaned, whether it lasts and what it does to skin.

The short version

Four materials are body-safe and non-porous: medical grade silicone, borosilicate glass, stainless steel and hard ABS plastic. They can be cleaned completely, they do not hold bacteria and they do not break down.

Everything else, and that mostly means TPE, TPR and the old jelly rubber, is porous. Porous is not automatically dangerous, but it cannot be sterilised, so it is a single person toy and it has a limited life.

Silicone

Silicone is the most used material for a good reason: soft, warm to the touch, completely non-porous and it tolerates boiling.

It has a slightly grippy, matte surface, so it wants lubricant. Use a water-based or a hybrid one, because silicone lubricant can soften the surface.

Quality varies. Good silicone has no smell at all. A rubbery or chemical smell means filler has been mixed in, and that toy is not what it claims to be.

Silicone attracts dust like nothing else, which is a storage problem rather than a hygiene one.

Glass

Glass toys are made from borosilicate, the same glass as laboratory equipment. It does not shatter from a knock on the bedside table and it survives the dishwasher.

Glass is completely smooth, so it needs far less lubricant than silicone, and it takes on temperature: a few minutes in warm water or in the fridge changes the whole sensation.

Inspect it before every use. A chip or a crack means it goes in the bin, not back in the drawer.

Stainless steel

Steel is the heaviest, the smoothest and the most durable of everything here. It is genuinely permanent and it holds cold or warmth for a long time.

Weight is the thing to consider. A steel plug feels completely different from a silicone one of the same size, and the weight is part of the appeal.

Look for surgical grade steel. Chrome-plated metal is not the same thing: plating can wear through.

ABS plastic

Hard ABS is what most bullet vibrators and many vibrator handles are made of. It is non-porous, easy to clean and it transmits vibration better than soft materials, which is exactly why powerful toys use it.

It is not the material you want for something large and insertable, because it does not give at all.

TPE, TPR and jelly

TPE and TPR feel soft and lifelike and are used for most masturbators and for cheap dildos. They are porous: the surface holds microscopic amounts of moisture and bacteria that no cleaner reaches.

That is workable if you follow three rules. One person only, never shared. Use a condom over it if you want to be careful. Replace it when the surface turns sticky or changes smell, which is the material starting to break down.

Store them separately. Two porous toys touching each other in a drawer will react and turn into a sticky mess.

How to tell what you are holding

Smell it. Real silicone is odourless. A strong plastic or rubber smell is TPE or a filled blend.

Read the wording. A description that says silicone-like, soft touch or body-safe material without naming one is not saying silicone.

Check the price against the size. A large dildo for a few euros is not silicone, because the raw material alone costs more.

Do not do the flame test you find on forums. Burning plastic is unpleasant and you learn nothing you cannot learn by smell.

Coatings and what they mean

Soft touch coatings on a plastic body are usually a thin layer of silicone paint. They feel lovely and they wear off, which is normal, not a defect.

Realistic skin materials in sleeves and strokers are almost always TPE and need dusting with cornstarch after washing to stay soft. Talc is the old advice and is best avoided.

Waterproof ratings are about the seal, not the material. A silicone toy is not automatically waterproof.

Frequently asked questions