The multibillion-dollar sex toy industry has adopted its first global safety standards amid a boom in sales, but sex experts warn the voluntary scheme is not enough to protect consumers.
Australian retailers such as Wild Secrets and Adulttoymegastore have reported booming sales for sex toys such as vibrators throughout the pandemic, especially during lockdowns. Globally, the industry was worth $US33.64 billion ($44.86 billion) in sales in 2020, according to Grand View Research, yet there were no safety standards until now.
Sales of sex toys have boomed during the pandemic.Credit:iStock
In September, the International Organisation for Standardisation published its first design and safety requirements for sex toys after a two-year project.
The ISO project was kicked off by Swedish surgeon Martin Dahlberg who realised he was increasingly performing operations to remove sex toys lodged in the rectum.
“At our hospital about 40 per cent of cases of retained foreign objects are due to sex toys,” Dr Dahlberg said in a statement. “I contacted the [Swedish] consumer protection agency in early 2018 to find out if there was any regulation in the sex toys market, but there was not. Yet, several possible injuries can result from the wrong use of sex toys.”
NSW Health does not have figures on injuries by cause and there has been no increase in the type of injuries that could be associated with sex toys.
To comply with the new ISO standards, manufacturers of sex toys must use “body-safe” material in the event of contact with the genital and anal areas, use a design to minimise the risk of injury during reasonable and predictable use, and provide sufficient information.
Vanessa Millie Rose, an Australian clinical sexuality coach certified by the American College of Sexologists who has previously worked at major adult retailers, said the ISO standards were “better than nothing” – but being voluntary, they did little to protect the general consumer.
“There are major sex toy retailers in Australia that are knowingly selling products that are unsafe, due to their design or materials, and these are among their best sellers,” Ms Rose said.
