By far the biggest category of adult products, after pornography, is the production and sale of vibrating toys. The majority, over 70%, are made in China and sold all over the world with a remarkable lack of oversight. Trojan, the condom-maker, recently estimated that the US market alone is worth $1 billion. These estimates are probably conservative given that the industry is largely made up of privately held companies who are not required to report market specific data.

While there has been some press on the bad effects of vibrators and the dependence that some women develop on them for being able to find orgasm, they have also been profoundly instrumental in allowing women to have an orgasm in the first place. In fact, a little bit of recently uncovered history has linked the invention of vibrators to Victorian physicians who were treating women for “hysteria” by bringing them to orgasm. These physicians were looking for a way to speedup to process so that they could see more patients per day and the vibrator answered the call. For years, these items were sold as medical devices, no stigma attached. The documentary “Passion and Power: the Technology of Orgasm” tells the story of both the development of vibrators and their influence on the female experience of orgasm.

The range of options for novelty items available is dizzying…One can find products in every color, shape, and size imaginable. The materials also vary from plastic to titanium to wood to glass. The varieties of vibrators and dildos alone can be overwhelming; clitoral, missile, waterproof, and vibrating erection rings are just the tip of the iceberg. It can be hard to know where to start. Before choosing an item, it is a good idea to take some time to research how to choose a toy. The sex-positive store, Good Vibrations, offers comprehensive advice on how to choose the right toy. They sell many eco sex products (made from the right materials) on their site, as do our friends at Jimmy Jane and Seattle Green Toys.

The majority of adult products are made with plastics. Sadly, the lack of regulation and oversight in this industry has created a glut of products which have been found to be extremely dangerous, with both low quality ingredients and bad plastics which off-gas and leak nasty chemicals. This video by Treehugger.com has the low-down! http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/tree-hugger-tv-shopping-for-an-eco-sex-toy.html

European studies of adult toys have shown extremely high levels of off- gassing of dangerous chemicals like phthalates in very high concentrations and that even in small levels have been linked to cancer and damage of the reproductive system. Being an intelligent and conscious consumer of adult products is an absolute necessity in this unregulated market- so please consider this a health warning and ask about the ingredients and the coating on the soft jelly and “cyber skin” items which are popular and often made with cheap PVC. As bad as these ingredients may be for the environment, they are even worse for sensitive tissue.

There are some really great eco friendly and safe adult toys to use that can add excitement and novelty to the bedroom. As in any industry, you get what you pay for, and when I first brought home some cheap vibrators, my husband was uninspired to say the least. So be prepared to invest in toys that are responsibly made, luxuriously beautiful, functional and long lasting. Moving up in price point, moves you from shopping for a vibrator to selecting a pleasure object… a distinction definitely worth the investment!

A couple of my favorite companies in the mid and upper price ranges include two European manufacturers, The German manufacturer Fun Factory and the Swedish manufacturer Lelo. Both of these companies offer a wide range of styles and shapes to engage most any couple. These more upscale vibrators use plug in chargers instead of batteries and offer much quieter motors with up to 16 different speed variations. You can find many of their products in the Toy section of our site, along with high-quality, body-safe products from other manufacturers.

Accessories can get your imagination rolling and as Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. Certainly when it comes to physical intimacy, allowing our imaginations a bit of free reign can only help to unleash some undiscovered passion. I have become a vibrator aficionado, always ready to expand my repertoire to include more and different sensations and my beautiful Lelos provide inspiration and some new ideas to explore what had been uncharted territory. Which is the point of all the millions of dollars of adult novelties: finding more and better ways to share deep personal pleasure that is the glue for holding all of the messy parts of loving relationships together.

–Wendy Strgar, Lovelogist, Good Clean Love