Here at Cheebras.com we are very concerned about what we put on an in our bodies. We started Cheebras in order to create a place that focuses on Body Safe Personal Toys. All of our Personal Toys and body/skin products are carefully reviewed and are created with the safety of our bodies and skin in mind, according to their respective manufacturers. Read more about why we started Cheebras.com on our "About" page.
Here we break down the materials that are used in the market today in three sections;
- Product materials we feel are the best your kitty.
- Pretty self explanatory, we take a look at the bad dogs.
- Just plain Wrong! Materials and side steps of the worst.
Glass is Non Porous, Non-Toxic, Recyclable, Long Lasting
Our favorite of the non-toxic options. The production of glass toys is relatively nontoxic, they clean easily, are thoroughly recyclable, and come in creative and pleasing shapes, sizes, and colors. Not the most expensive but fairly high priced and worth their weight. They are very durable but are still glass, and can crack if dropped or knocked against a hard surface. Glass is is rigid and can lose that realistic feel but makes up for it in its ability to be heated up or chilled in water for that warm fuzzy feeling.
If your glass goodie has suffered a great fall we recommend you discontinue using it. Any small cracks and fractures can easily become larger with changes in temperature and be very unsafe for your kitty. So take good care of your glass and she'll take care of you!
Aluminum - Non Porous, Non-Toxic, Recyclable, Very Long Lasting
Wonderful material for toys. Aluminum is a lighter metal than stainless steel, it doesn't feel so heavy. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth's solid surface, so it is recyclable and safe. Super durable and temperature sensitive so can be chilled or warmed for temperature sensation play. A relatively new material in the market, it is being introduced very creatively by companies like Tantus which you can find here on Cheebras.com.
Visit our Glass & Safe Materials section
Stainless Steel - Non Porous, Non-Toxic, Recyclable, Very Long Lasting
High on our list of GOODS! This well known material is being introduced in the industry and looks beautiful! Unique and innovative designs are sleek, sexy and very attractive but very pricey. The weight of stainless steel can provide an invigorating experience! They can be cleaned and/or sterilized by any means. Stainless steel has low ‘specific heat’, which means that it’s cold to the touch, but it will warm rapidly to body temperature. Of course if you’re partial to temperature/sensation play, a few minutes in the fridge (avoid the freezer!) will provide a rather ‘chilling’ experience; and likewise a short dip in a bowl of warm water will yield a luxuriously warm and sensual toy for your pleasure. Stay away from harsh abrasives when cleaning your Stainless Steel as this can damage the surface.
Cheebras.com is currently looking for the right Stainless steel products to carry. Please sign up on our newsletter and we'll let you know right when they come in!
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Silicone - Cheebras choice for safest soft material for anything you're going to put into your body. The more you research the issue of safety and sexuality the more you will resolve that silicone is one of the best materials in the marketplace right now. Silicone does not decompose but it is recyclable, however probably not through your city-wide recycling program. You'll probably have to drive to a specialty recycling facility, but then again, silicone is very durable so you won't have to worry about disposal for a long time.
Silicone is hygienic because it has no open pores to harbor bacteria and it is so easy to clean. It is stable in high temperatures and will be fine up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. You can boil or autoclave it. You can also bleach it in a 10% bleach solution or use alcohol swabs. Considering where your toys go- hygiene should be of the utmost importance. Yes, you may put it in your dishwasher.
Silicone is also hypoallergenic. It's inert so it doesn't react to any other materials and it's stable so it doesn't disintegrate or react when sitting beside something else.
Now all silicones are not the same. There are different grades of silicone: tin and platinum. They have different chemical make ups, longevities, and compatibilities. While all of the above facts are true for either silicone, only platinum grades can be medical grade quality. No silicone used in toys (that I know of) has had the FDA qualify its materials. It's time consuming and expensive and to get medical liability insurance would make the cost of your toys more than triple.
Because of the different qualities of silicone toys, and the different qualities of silicone in lubrications, some silicone lubricants bond to some silicone toys. The only thing that will stick to silicone is silicone. Because It's impossible to provide all the exceptions, we offer a blanket statement that silicone lubricants are incompatible with silicone toys. If you love silicone lubricant, try a test patch on the bottom base of your silicone toy. If the patch doesn't get gummy, so that the only way to clean it is with your thumb nail, it's probably going to be just fine.
Visit our Glass & Safe Materials section to see our selection of Silicone toys.
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Elastomers - The latest innovations. We are seeing them in our kitchen ware, our toothbrushes and finally our sex toys. Elastomers are soft patented polymers and while they sound like a mystery, they are phthalate free and some even have closed pores and are remarkably durable.
But as these sex smart materials are so diverse, and as yet unknown by retailers and consumers alike, they are hard to recognize and even harder to generalize about as to care and cleaning. When in doubt use a condom and a water soluble lubricant and wash with soft soap. Hopefully packaging will include more details soon.
Cheebras does not currently carry any Elastomer based toys. We are keeping an out eye out though!
Yep Wood! What about Splinters?? With super-fine sanding and many coats of food-quality varnish, wooden toys are very smooth and have been around for centuries. Food grade varnish is used today to finish the hand made beauties and is durable and is not affected by oil- or water-based lubricants. It also seals the wood making them water proof. Manufacturers of wooden toys use their own safe varnish but all claim they are waterproof, hypoallergenic,and phthalate-free. They can be cleaned with your favorite toy cleaner safely.
Wood toys can be higher priced because they are usually made one at a time on a lathe or completely by hand giving each toy a unique and safe and finish. Practically a work of art, wood toys are pleasing both to the eye and the body.
Cheebras.com is currently looking for the perfect Wood products to carry. Please sign up on our newsletter and we'll let you know as soon as they come in!
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Jelly Rubber: Is your toy translucent with lots of bubbles? Does it smell like a chemical factory? If so, you have Jelly in your collection. Jelly is PVC with a phthalate softener. Now PVC is perfectly safe- your water pipes are PVC and it meets all food grade standards. It's the phthalate that really makes Jelly a problem. Upon exposure you may find your intimate parts inflamed and burning and you may have a discharge that is very similar to a yeast infection. The only safe way to enjoy jelly is to put a condom over it. Jelly is soft, porous and cannot be disinfected.
If you own any jellies, clean them with soap and water, and store in a cool, dry place away from other objects. We strongly recommend using a condom on them every time. This creates a barrier between you and the toy that will greatly reduce your contact with its ingredients. If your toy is not waterproof, please take care not to get water in its battery pack or cord.
Latex, which some people are allergic to, is often an ingredient in jelly rubber toys. Some jelly rubber toys may contain rubber softeners such as phthalates, which have been associated with negative health effects. Read up on the latest news and research on phthalates.
Only water soluble lubricants should be used because other lubes will melt the jelly material- in fact a jelly toy may melt sitting too close to a toy of another material. Dishwashing liquid soaps are too harsh for this type of toy and alcohol will dissolve it. Toy cleaners are really recommended. To store your jelly make certain it is dry and separated from other toys, you don't want to clean the puddle you may wake up to.
Latex is probably the most common material used for toys. It's certainly been around the longest (since the 30's). It's inexpensive and it's made into every shape and size. Latex is always opaque and often flesh toned. You have probably heard of latex allergy or sensitivity; it is getting more and more common. The more exposure you have to latex, the more likely you are to begin getting reactions. Health workers using latex gloves day in and day out are especially at risk. But after many years of safely using your toys, if you wake one morning to reactions mimicking yeast infections: inflammation, rash and discharge, throw the latex away.
The pores on latex are semi porous, so funny as it sounds you should cover your latex toy with a latex condom. As any safe sex student knows, never use an oil based lube on latex- it breaks down and destroys the structure of the material. Alcohol will also break it down. Latex should be cleaned with a soft soap or a special toy cleaner.
Cyberskin toys are made of porous material that cannot be disinfected. They may contain rubber softeners such as phthalates, which have been associated with negative health effects. Please see individual product information.
Use with condoms for safety and to aid in cleanup. Powder with corn starch after use to keep the toy from getting sticky. Don't use talcum powder (which has been associated with certain kinds of cancer and should never be put in the vagina). Cyberskin cannot be used with silicone lube as it can melt the toy. Be sure to use a condom over the toy if you want to use a silicone lube.
Vinyl is a porous material, but not quite as much as jelly rubber. None the less should be used with condoms for safety and to aid in cleanup. Vinyl lasts longer than jelly rubber, but not as long as silicone. Clean vinyl toys with soap and water; do not boil. Vinyl toys are midway between jelly rubber and silicone in most ways, and can be an alternative to jelly rubber without being as expensive as silicone.
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The following information has been acquired from various informative sites. Articles and studies about the adult toy industry which we felt should be shared with you. This section will be updated as we come across new information. If you wish to share some information you may come across don't hesitate to email us at NautyAndNice@cheebras.com
You can also respond to any of our blogs with your news or story. Visit our Can Nip Blog
The Problem with Parabens
Parabens are a group of chemicals used as preservatives in lotions, conditioners, shampoos, deodorants. They are listed on the label as methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, benzylparaben, isobutylparaben, and propylparaben. They are sold under different cosmetic names, including Germaben II and LiquiPar Oil.
Since 2000, thirteen studies have shown that parabens display estrogenic activity.
Other studies have also shown that parabens have accumulated in breast cancer tissue. Although paraben supporters claim that the body breaks the chemical down quickly, these studies show that complete parabens accumulated in the tumors, not being broken down at all. It has been proven that excess estrogen does lead to reproductive cancers (like breast and uterine cancer), and it has been proven that parabens act like estrogen and accumulate in the body. The dots haven’t been officially connected by the FDA, but the case for parabens looks pretty grim. The European Journal of Cancer Prevention reported that “Frequency and earlier onset of antiperspirant/deodorant usage with underarm shaving were associated with an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis.” It is possible that the parabens (and other chemicals) in the antiperspirant are to blame for this.
Of course not. Chemical and cosmetic companies love parabens because they give products long shelf lives and they’re cheap.
Because they claim that the evidence is not conclusive. The FDA doesn't want to step on the cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies toes because of their close ties.
Some companies may incorrectly list their ingredients, putting the brand name Germaben II instead of listing the actual ingredients.
: Parabens and Breast Cancer, www.breastcancerfund.org
Ever thought about the toxins in your sex toys?
By Emily Gertz 06 Dec 2005 / grist.org
Many popular erotic toys are made of polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) -- plastics long decried by eco-activists for the toxins released during their manufacture and disposal -- and softened with phthalates, a controversial family of chemicals. These include invitingly soft "jelly" or "cyberskin" items, which have grown popular in the last decade or so, says Carol Queen, Ph.D., "staff sexologist" for the San Francisco-based adult toy boutique Good Vibrations. "It's actually difficult for a store today to carry plenty of items and yet avoid PVC," Queen says. "Its use has gotten pretty ubiquitous among the large purveyors, because it's cheap and easy to work with."
In recent years, testing has revealed the potentially serious health impacts of phthalates. Studies on rats and mice suggest that exposure could cause cancer and damage the reproductive system. Minute levels of some phthalates have been linked to sperm damage in men, and this year, two published studies linked phthalate exposure in the womb and through breast milk to male reproductive issues.
A study in 2000 by German chemist Hans Ulrich Krieg found that 10 dangerous chemicals gassed out of some sex toys available in Europe, including diethylhexyl phthalates. Some had phthalate concentrations as high as 243,000 parts per million -- a number characterized as "off the charts" by Davis Baltz of the health advocacy group Commonweal. "We were really shocked," Krieg told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Marketplace in a 2001 report on the sex-toy industry. "I have been doing this analysis of consumer goods for more than 10 years, and I've never seen such high results."
The danger, says Baltz, is that heat, agitation, and extended shelf life can accelerate the leaching of phthalates. "In addition, [phthalates are] lipophilic, meaning they are drawn to fat," he says. "If they come into contact with solutions or substances that have lipid content, the fat could actually help draw the phthalates out of the plastic." Janice Cripe, a former buyer for Blowfish -- a Bay Area-based online company whose motto is "Good Products for Great Sex" -- confirms the instability of jelly toys: "They would leak," she says. "They'd leach this sort of oily stuff. They would turn milky" and had a "kind of plasticky, rubbery odor." She stopped ordering many jelly toys during her time at Blowfish, even though their lower prices made them popular.
So what's being done to protect consumers? Well, nothing. While the U.S., Japan, Canada, and the European Union have undertaken various restrictions regarding phthalates in children's toys, no such rules exist for adult toys. In order to be regulated in the U.S. under current law, sex toys would have to present what the federal government's Consumer Product Safety Commission calls a "substantial product hazard" -- essentially, a danger from materials or design that, in the course of using the product as it's made to be used, could cause major injury or death. But if you look at the packaging of your average mock penis or ersatz vagina, it's probably been labeled as a "novelty," a gag gift not intended for actual use. That's an important semantic dodge that allows less scrupulous manufacturers to elude
responsibility for potentially harmful materials, and to evade government regulation. If you stick it somewhere it wasn't meant to go, well -- caveat emptor, baby!
It's a striking lack of oversight for a major globalized industry. The Guardian recently estimated that 70 percent of the world's sex toys are manufactured in China, and the CBC's 2001 report suggested the North American market might be worth $400 million to $500 million.
More detailed figures can be hard to come by. "In the U.S., all of the companies that manufacture adult novelties, whether they're mom-and-pop or large corporations, are privately held," explains Philip Pearl, publisher and editor in chief of AVN Adult Novelty Business, a trade magazine. "None are required to publish financial information, and none do."
Queen thinks the lack of agreed-upon standards is a major problem. She and the staff at Good Vibrations have often had to fall back on marginally relevant regulations. "I remember trying in the early '90s to track down information on an oil used on beautiful hand-carved wooden dildos - was it safe to put into the body?" she says. "The closest comparison we could find was the regulation governing wooden salad utensils!"
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By Heather J. Ciras / Columbia News Service
With a mind toward the environment, the adult toy industry is moving away from using phthalates, or chemicals that soften plastic, in their products.
Many adult toys mix phthalates, chemicals that soften plastic, with a polyvinyl chlorate (PVC) to create a rubber-jelly-like product. The health effects of these substances are the subject of conflicting reports, but because some research suggests that phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) could cause health problems, many retailers in the adult toy industry are moving away from using these chemicals.
Since the PVC and phthalates don’t completely combine chemically, the phthalates can break away from the PVC over time, resulting in stickiness, an oily discharge or an odd smell or taste. Environmental groups endorse the decision to abandon the use of phthalates as part of their push to limit the use of plastics in general.
Several studies over the past five years have suggested that there could be dangers linked to human contact with phthalates. In one study, the di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was shown to be harmful to the liver and testes. Other phthalates are suspected of possibly changing the hormonal makeup of young males.
Phthalates are found in numerous everyday items. In fact, the main source of contact with the chemicals is through food. Much of the food consumers eat has been sealed in plastic made with phthalates. Children’s toys, too, contain phthalates, and in 2004, the European Union banned children’s toys with three different kinds of the substance. But subsequent studies by the U.S. government said the amount of phthalates in toys was negligible. Canada has banned phthalates in teething rings and rattles, but in no other products.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said phthalates in children's products "were safe after doing extensive testing, including mouthing, where children use teethers," said Karin Schmidt of the American Chemistry Council. "If they're safe for that use, they're safe for use in other toys."
The concern for phthalates in children’s toys sparked the concern about the adult toys that use them.
In 2006, separate Danish and Dutch studies evaluated the presence of phthalates in sex toys. The first study found that the specific phthalates found in the toys were carcinogenic to lab rodents but the amount found in the toys should not be harmful to humans.
The second study, sponsored by the environmental group Greenpeace, merely tested for the presence of phthalates in toys. It found that that seven out of the eight most popular adult erotic toys contained high levels of phthalates--50 percent of one toy was made out of the chemical.
In addition to breaking down over time, phthalate-based erotic toys are not easy to clean. In fact, Good Vibrations, a San Francisco store, recommends using a condom over a phthalate toy to prevent the spread of infection. The material is porous and could harbor bacteria, the store warns.
“I’ve owned jelly rubber sex toys that stain things they touch with a greasy mark, toys that pick up the colors of other toys, and once even had two jelly toys chemically melt into each other in a puddle of goo,” said an adult entertainer who sells erotic toys to vegetarians on her Web site. She refused to give her real name.
The short lifespan of jelly toys isn’t ecologically friendly, and the waste isn’t biodegradable. Toys made out of alternative materials last longer, and some even have interchangeable parts if the product stops functioning.
“In general, buying high-quality items is one of the best things you can do in an ecological sense,” said the owner of vegsexshop.com, “because you’re going to own that item for a longer period of time without the need to replace it on a regular basis.”
Adding to the concern about phthalates is that manufacturers of erotic toys are not required to list the materials contained in their products. And some of them, once they realized consumers thought silicon was a safer bet, began making silicon-phthalate mixtures and labeling them “silicon,” said Carol Queen a “sexologist" for Good Vibrations.
Because stories about phthalates are spreading through the mainstream media and adult toy trade magazines, many in the industry are moving to change their practices.
But there is no requirement to do so. Since the toys with phthalates are cheaper to make, they are the most inexpensive items on the market. The economic value will keep them around for a while unless a more authoritative health-based study is conducted, said Queen, who is also co-founder of the Center for Sex and Culture, which provides sex education.
“I think it’s going to be a while before anyone can step up in the research,” Queen said. “It’s not likely that research with sex toys is taken seriously.
“What we have now is suspicion," she said. “We don’t have hard information.”
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