Last Updated on 8 April, 2026 by Cara Sutra
There is a persistent myth that sex toys are dangerous, damaging or somehow harmful to the body. The truth is that sex toys are extremely safe when they’re made from body-safe materials and used as intended. Safety issues with vibrators and other adult products arise when the sex toy is made with low quality or unsafe materials, manufactured to poor standards or used incorrectly. So, what’s the deal? Are sex toys safe? How do you use vibrators safely? If you’re hesitant about buying a vibrator because you have any concerns about whether it’s safe for your body, today’s guide will provide clear answers and practical reassurance.
Are Sex Toys Safe?
Most sex toys are safe to use intimately and as intended when they’re made from body-safe materials and manufactured to high standards. Issues commonly arise because the sex toy industry isn’t regulated in the same way as medical devices. This means that you can find top quality vibrators made to high standards which are safe to use, but you can also find extremely poorly made and cheap sex toys which can harbour bacteria, induce bodily irritation or degrade quickly.
This is across all categories of sex toys, too; whether it’s a vibrator, dildo, stroker or butt plug, sex toy safety depends on the materials used to make the product and how it is used and cared for.
What Safety Really Means
What does sex toy safety actually relate to? When people talk about whether a sex toy is safe, they’re usually talking about three things: materials, function and hygiene. A safe sex toy is one that won’t leach chemicals into your body, doesn’t absorb and retain your bodily fluids, and won’t cause any irritation or abrasion, whether internally or externally. A safe sex toy can be properly cleaned and dried without harbouring bacteria.
Sex toy safety isn’t about minimising erotic pleasure or placing restrictions on usage, it’s about choosing products which have been designed for intimate physical use rather than novelty items which are made and sold quickly and cheaply without any care for the end user’s safety.
Safe Sex Toy Materials to Look For
Safe sex toy materials are those which are non-porous, phthalate-free, hypoallergenic and won’t degrade over time. These include:
Medical grade silicone: The flexible sex toy material of choice. Body safe, non-porous, durable, hygienic and easy to clean.
ABS plastic: Great for lower price rigid sex toys which transmit vibration effectively. Smooth, inflexible and non-porous. Commonly found housing bullet vibrators and forming sex toy handles.
Stainless steel: Completely non-porous, easy to sterilise, inflexible and extremely durable. Great for temperature play.
Borosilicate glass: Beautiful and rigid as well as body safe. This durable glass is non-porous, ideal for temperature play and easy to keep clean between uses.
Aluminium: Lighter weight metal sex toy option, which is body safe, easy to clean and hygienic.
These materials don’t degrade or trap bacteria when cleaned correctly. They are also free from phthalates, dyes, or plasticisers that can leach during use.
| Safe / Non-porous | Why | Avoid | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical grade silicone | Non-porous, hypoallergenic, durable | Jelly rubber | Porous; often phthalates; degrades |
| Stainless steel | Sterilisable, ultra-smooth, long-lasting | Vinyl / PVC | May contain plasticisers; gets tacky |
| Borosilicate glass | Non-porous; great for temperature play | Many TPE / TPR blends | Absorbs fluids; hard to disinfect |
| ABS plastic | Rigid, non-porous, hygienic | Latex (as coatings) | Allergen risk; degrades with use |
For examples of safe sex toy materials in practice, check out my steel toy reviews and glass toy reviews.
Safe Toy Recommendations
👉 Shopping for reliable, body-safe options? I recommend:
Tantus Inc | njoy at Lovehoney.com & njoy at Lovehoney.co.uk |
Glass dildos at Lovehoney.com | Glass dildos at Lovehoney.co.uk
Unsafe Sex Toy Materials to Avoid
Some cheap sex toys – and even some expensive ones! – are made from porous or chemically unstable materials which can cause skin issues such as irritation or even have a long-term physical impact. These include:
Jelly rubber: Extremely porous and often contains phthalates. Cheap as chips but gives off a telling, weird chemical smell. If your nose says no, same should go for other parts of your body!
TPE or TPR: Often the soft & squishy material of choice for penis masturbators and ‘real feel’ sex toys, but it absorbs fluids and can’t be fully disinfected.
Vinyl or PVC: These materials can give off a weird chemical smell (but not always, so don’t rely on this). They may contain chemical plasticisers, and the surface of toys can become oddly tacky/sticky over time.
Latex: Obviously unsuitable for people with latex allergies, also this material can degrade quickly when used as a sex toy coating.
The price of sex toys made from the above materials is often incredibly tempting, as they’re usually at a much lower price point than those made from higher quality, body safe materials. However, despite the cheap price tag and soft feeling at first, they absorb moisture, meaning bacteria is harboured and grows within even if you think you’ve cleaned the toy thoroughly. Over time they can also degrade visually as well as at microscopic level, becoming sticky and releasing more odours. All of this is a sign of chemical instability.
As mentioned above, don’t rely on this as a guaranteed ‘unsafe material’ sign, but if your new sex toy smells honks to high heaven like a new inflatable beach ball, chances are it’s porous and not body safe. Just as you would hopefully avoid eating or drinking anything toxic to your body, you should steer clear of inserting anything elsewhere which could also be damaging.
If you’re shopping for a body-safe, effective new sex toy, I recommend browsing JouJou Australia’s latest vibrators. Pay close attention to the materials and product details listed before you buy.
Find out more about what various sex toys are made from in my adult toy materials guide
How To Use a Vibrator Safely
Using a vibrator safely is mostly about hygiene, lubrication and understanding your own body. So many people bypass these three simple factors when it comes to vibrator use. Vibrators themselves don’t cause bodily harm when used sensibly and as intended. Discomfort usually comes from dryness, friction or overly intense pressure on one area for too long.
Preparation and Hygiene
It’s important to wash your sex toy before each use as well as afterwards. When you first open your sex toy, a thorough clean with antibacterial cleaner will remove any potential manufacturing residue which could cause irritation. For other uses, a quick rinse beforehand removes dust or fluff which could have settled on the surface. I also use a gentle toy cleaner, available from Lovehoney.com or Lovehoney.co.uk.
After using your sex toy, clean it as soon as possible. Use warm water and an antibacterial cleaner, then gently dry with a clean towel before storing the sex toy when it is completely dry. It’s vital to ensure that the clean toy is entirely dry, as any moisture trapped along seams or around charging areas can encourage the growth of bacteria.
Other hygiene tips include washing your hands thoroughly before intimate play, and don’t switch your sex toys between anal and vaginal use. It really is best that you don’t use any sex toys you’ve used for anal play for vaginal play, but if you must, fully clean and sterilise the toy after anal use before introducing it vaginally. This is possible with non-porous toys such as silicone, metal and glass sex toys. Even silicone toys can retain smells from anal use, which is at the very least, off-putting.
I have reviewed a few products designed for toy care and storage, which you can see in my toy cleaner reviews and favourite toy storage review.
Read more in how to clean your toy properly
Lubrication and Comfort
All hail the wonders of lube! Lubrication dramatically improves comfort and therefore, safety. Friction is one of the main causes of skin irritation, especially for people with sensitive skin or during longer, more intense play sessions. Use the best quality, body-safe sex lubricant you can find, one that provides sensual glide rather than rapidly becoming ‘globby’ or tacky. Lube is definitely not just for people who have natural lubrication problems, this is another persistent myth. Your comfort should always come first.
Get lube 👉 I strongly recommend Sliquid Lubes (shop here in the UK).
Read more in my sexual lubricants guide
Intensity and Numbing Concerns
There’s a common worry that vibrators can cause numbness or reduce sensitivity. Temporary numbness can occur if an extra powerful vibrator is used on one spot for a long time, but this is a short-term sensation rather than long-term damage. Moving the vibrator to other areas, as well as reducing the pressure or even taking short breaks helps to prevent this happening. Getting numb whilst using a vibrator? This is a signal from your body to change technique or area, not a sign that the vibrator is dangerous.
Insertion Safety
When you’re using a toy for anal play, it’s imperative you use one with a flared base or safety-designed handle so that it isn’t drawn up into the body. The vagina has a natural stopper (the cervix) so sex toys cannot be ‘lost’ inside the body in the same way as they can via the anus.
That doesn’t mean there are no precautions you should take when it comes to vaginally inserted sex toys. For vaginal play, the main consideration is your comfort and the material & size of the insertable toy you’re using. Does that vaginal dildo or vibrator feel sharp, rigid in an uncomfortable way or stretching you painfully? Switch to a different shape or texture.
Read more in my pain-free anal sex guide
Common Safety Concerns (And Whether They Are Accurate)
There is so much misinformation online as well as popular myths via hearsay about the effects of vibrators and sex toys. These usually focus on bodily sensitivity and relationship dynamics. Most of these concerns stem from a lack of sex education about how the body works in terms of sexual arousal, as well as outdated beliefs such as toxic masculinity.
Do Vibrators Cause Desensitisation?
No. Vibrators can cause temporary numbness if the same spot is stimulated continuously at high intensity, but this can be resolved quickly. It’s like holding your phone on vibrate against your skin for too long. Your nerves don’t become damaged. If anything, many people find their sensitivity improves because stress and tension drop, which makes sexual arousal easier.
Can Sex Toys Replace a Partner?
Absolutely not. I’ve been with my partner for over 15 years, and we always say that sex toys are the seasoning on a sex life, not a replacement. A strong relationship doesn’t have its connection, intimacy or emotional closeness threatened by inanimate objects.
Many couples, like my husband and I, actively incorporate vibrators and other sex toys into our partnered sex sessions, because they can reduce anxiety and increase mutual satisfaction. Blaming a sex toy for relationship troubles is like blaming a chair because you had an argument whilst sat on it.
Is It Possible to Get Infections from Sex Toys?
Infections can occur due to poor quality, porous materials, and a lack of proper sex toy hygiene, rather than being a possibility from all sex toys generally. Choose body-safe, non-porous toys which don’t trap fluids so they can be cleaned thoroughly. This means they won’t absorb or retain residue, which can result in bacterial growth over time. Also, to maintain good hygiene and keep infection risk low, it’s vital that you clean your sex toys thoroughly before and after each use.
How To Choose a Safe Vibrator
Despite meeting the relevant jurisdiction’s manufacturing regulations, the truth is that sex toys aren’t regulated in the same way as medically safe for internal use devices. Manufacturing and medical use regulations are very different. That’s why you’ll still see labels like “for novelty use only” or “not for internal use” on a sex toy box even when you’ve bought something clearly marketed for use inside the body. Even the term “body safe” isn’t a legally protected term; it falls into the category of product marketing.
What does this mean when shopping for a truly safe sex toy? Don’t assume that every product marketed for sexual use is guaranteed to be body safe. Look for company transparency and clear labelling about materials used to make the sex toys, such as the grade of silicone, finish of stainless steel or blend of plastic. If the product page or packaging avoids naming the material and instead has some vague pleasantries about being “soft touch” or “love skin”, it’s usually a red flag.
👉 If you want a safe starting point when shopping for vibrators without worrying about materials quality, here are a few brands I personally trust:
Womanizer US & EU/UK | We-Vibe US & EU/UK | SVibe | Hot Octopuss
Quality Markers to Look For
- Named non-porous material (silicone, glass, stainless steel, ABS plastic)
- No strong plastic or chemical smell
- Seamless or well-sealed design
- Reputable manufacturer or established brand
- Medically body safe or phthalate free labelling
Warning Signs of Low Quality
- Unlabelled materials or suspicious sounding “skin feel” claims
- Sticky, oily or rubbery texture
- Artificial or chemical smell
- Painted coating instead of coloured material
- Very low price compared to similar toys
Cleaning, Care and Storage
You can help keep your vibrator safe through long-term use by looking after it correctly. Non-porous materials and fully waterproof (to IPX7 and above) ratings are easy to keep hygienically clean with warm water and mild antibacterial soap. I often use handwash to be honest. Large sex toys and those with various nobbles, nooks and crannies are taken into the shower with me for an intense scrub down and rinse.
For even deeper hygiene, some sex toys (like pure silicone, stainless steel or borosilicate glass) can be washed as usual, then boiled for sterilisation. Don’t boil anything with electronic parts.
👉 Prefer fully non-porous toys you can sterilise? Steel sex toys at Lovehoney USA & UK | Glass at Lovehoney USA & UK
Drying and Storage
Make sure you dry your sex toys fully before storage, so no moisture sits around charging areas or gets trapped in seams. Ideally, you should store sex toys in a clean pouch or drawer, away from dust and direct sunlight.
Cheap material toys like jelly and rubber shouldn’t be stored next to each other as the materials can react with each other – but hopefully you won’t have any such dodgy materials in your sex toy collection anyway!
Read more in my bedroom toy storage guide
When To Replace a Toy
A good quality vibrator should last you through several years of careful use. Replace if the surface becomes damaged, sticky, cracked or discoloured. Don’t use a vibrator if the battery begins to overheat, or the casing around the battery or charging port gets loose. These are usually material or manufacturing issues rather than due to someone misusing the toy.
Safety for Those with Pain or Medical Conditions
People may assume sex toys are risky if they already have pain or sexual health issues, but they can actually help to relieve tension and make intimacy easier. If you experience any of these issues, I strongly recommend MysteryVibe who design medically supported sexual health devices. If you’d like to see how these devices work in practice, I’ve also written a detailed review of a pelvic health vibrator from MysteryVibe.
👉 Shop MysteryVibe pleasure devices
Pelvic Pain Conditions
For people with vaginismus, vulvodynia, or general pelvic floor tightness, a soft silicone vibrator can encourage relaxation and gentle desensitisation of fear or tension. I have heard from several people who have benefitted from a set of vaginal dilators. Starting externally and working slowly inward helps the body relearn safety.
👉 Buy my top recommended vaginal dilators set from Lovehoney.com & Lovehoney.co.uk
Skin Sensitivity or Allergies
Medical grade silicone, stainless steel, and borosilicate glass are ideal for those with sensitive skin because they are hypoallergenic and non-porous. Avoid sex toys with unknown surface coatings or mixed materials if you’re prone to irritation.
In Conclusion
Are sex toys safe? Yes, when you choose body safe materials, keep your toys clean, and actively listen to your body before, during and after use. The biggest risks come from low-quality, porous materials and shoddy manufacturing, not from the pursuit of erotic pleasure through using sex toys.
Used properly, a quality vibrator can improve your sexual confidence, heighten arousal and intimacy in partnered sex sessions, reduce sexual anxiety and increase the erotic sensation you experience, all without causing harm or long-term sensitivity changes. A huge part of feeling relaxed enough to fully enjoy intimacy is feeling completely safe in your body, and the right sex toys are those you can fully trust, rather than anything with an element of risk.
If you’re now feeling confident about choosing a body-safe toy, my beginner-friendly vibrator guide is a great place to start browsing options.
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