Sex toys come in all shapes and sizes, but they also come in all different materials too. From silicone and jelly to glass and metal, each of these wonderful materials has its own advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, these materials have their own purposes in relation to sexual pleasure and enhancement. Whatever sensations you’d like to add to the bedroom, there’s a material that will make that a reality. Everyone has different priorities in what they looks for in a sex toy, therefore it’s incredibly important to understand which material suits their needs.
SILICONE
With its long list of advantages compared with its few drawbacks, it’s easy to understand why silicone is the industry standard for most sex toys today. With silicone being medical grade and completely body-safe, it’s also hypoallergenic, latex-free, and phthalate-free. Liquid silicone is a form of silicone that varies in texture from regular silicone. Not only is it softer and more flexible than regular silicone, but it’s also ideal for toys that have more intricate and detailed designs.
Toys made of silicone are also incredibly durable, compared with other materials. For instance, silicone generally lasts longer. Due to the flexibility of these toys, they can more easily mould to your body shape. Although their main selling point is they have a silky-smooth finish, feeling more luxurious against the skin and offering more pleasure for the user.
Cleaning silicone toys is almost too easy. Thanks to the material being non-porous, these toys don’t attract dirt or harbour bacteria. While you can upsell a toy cleaner with silicone toys for those who just want to spritz, wipe and go, there’s another solution too for specifically non-motorized silicone toys. Boiling your silicone dongs or plugs for around three minutes sterilizes them, making them safe and ready for your next use.
The only disadvantage of using silicone toys is that they’re not compatible with all lube types. Using silicone lubes with silicone toys can cause the material to break down. This can be a major turn off for those who prefer the thicker and more nourishing formula that silicone lubes provide. Although water-based lubricants are still a safe and viable option for use with silicone toys.
JELLY/TPE/TPR/PVC
“Jelly” toys is a broad term that encompasses materials like TPE, TPR and PVC. Overall, jelly refers to any material made from an elastomer or rubber blend that comes out with a soft, jelly-like texture and feel. This material used to be the industry standard before silicone toys became the norm, with sex shops lining their shelves with them.
The jelly-like texture is super soft and creates a more “lifelike” feel, making them the go-to material for realistic dongs as well as strokers and masturbators. A fun tip when selling these strokers is to upsell with a warming lube. This adds even more of a realistic touch alongside the material. These toys tend to be cheaper and battery-operated. While rechargeable toys have become more popular, toys that take batteries still have their advantages. For example, they make for convenient travel vibes, since it’s easier to find a couple AA batteries in a pinch as opposed to one of the hundreds of USB cables that you have lurking in your junk drawer.
However the biggest drawback for jelly toys is that they’re porous. That’s to say they attract dirt and dust, making them harder to clean and easier for the toy to retain potentially harmful bacteria. Furthermore, jelly toys can also contain latex, which means anyone with a latex allergy may prefer to choose a different material.
ABS PLASTIC
While it may be rare to find acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic toys on shop floors nowadays, they still have their place in the industry just like all other materials. As you might guess, ABS vibes have a hard, stiff casing, meaning there’s a thinner barrier between your skin and the motor compared with other materials. As a result, the vibrations from an ABS plastic toy can feel more intense than from silicone or jelly vibrators. However this hard casing also makes plastic toys sound louder than other materials too.
Similar to jelly toys, ABS plastic toys tend to be battery-operated as opposed to rechargeable, which lends itself to being more suitable for pleasure on-the-go. These vibes also typically use dials to adjust the speed rather than buttons, making for a more customizable experience instead of using preset speeds.
In addition, ABS toys are compatible with all lube types and can be very durable. In fact, they’re less likely to break down like silicone or jelly, though accidentally dropping them on a hard surface can cause them to crack or break.
GLASS
If we had to give an award for the most underappreciated material of the sex toy industry, we’d give it to glass. They’re incredibly versatile and have so many advantages to using them. Borosilicate glass is hypoallergenic and seamless, not only making them safe to use but also easy to clean since bacteria won’t linger in any seams. Similarly to solid silicone toys, glass can be boiled to sterilize them, but a quick and easy spray with toy cleaner works too (and is a quick upsell).
That said, you can’t overlook the biggest advantage of using glass toys: the potential for temperature play. Using temperature to enhance sexual and erotic experiences is a fantastic way to take advantage of anticipation. Simply hold the toy under warm to hot water or in ice water and the toy will hold that temperature. Be sure not to use scolding hot or freezing temperatures.
Many customers are worried about the durability of glass toys, thinking they may break during use. However, there’s no cause for concern! Borosilicate glass is incredibly durable and shatterproof. The only way that you’ll break this toy is if you throw it at a wall as hard as you can.
METAL
Not only are stainless steel toys body-safe, smooth, satisfyingly heavy and hypoallergenic, but there are also the most durable toys on the market. Thanks to their easy care and cleaning needs, they last an incredibly long time. Solid metal toys can be boiled like glass and solid silicone, and metal vibes can be easily cleaned with toy cleaner.
Similarly to glass toys, metal sex toys are great to use for temperature play and are compatible with all lube types. While these hard dongs are clearly not flexible, they’re often better at hitting the G-Spot or P-Spot. Furthermore, metal vibrators are fantastic at transmitting powerful vibrations thanks to their hard and thin casing, much like toys made of ABS plastic.
While there are more materials for sex toys out there, these are the most popular. All materials have their advantages and drawbacks and different effects on how you experience pleasure. What works for some customers may not appeal to others. The key is to interact with your clients and tell them all the fun things they can do with their toys and how the material can enhance their overall experience.
Emma Wilson is a newcomer to the adult toys industry, providing customer service and writing fun product descriptions, articles and more for Nobü Toys.
