Over a glass of red wine, our evening discussion made its way to the topic of the sex toy industry. Lightly buzzed and curious, we were aroused enough to take a field trip to the local Malwart-style mega sex store. Here is what we saw:

“We immediately noticed that some products had warning labels, almost all of them were in cheesy air tight packaging, and not a single one disclosed information about the material makeup of the toy. We wondered - what is going on here? After a bit of research, we quickly learned that sex toys are not regulated by the FDA. Sex toys are considered novelties, and are not meant for actual use. Thus, when approving the manufacture and sale of these products, absolutely no consideration is given to the fact they are being put in highly sensitive and highly absorbent areas of the body. Since they are unregulated, sex toys can be made out of almost any material, including PVC, which is a very toxic plastic. In the United States, many jelly rubber sex toys use rubber softeners, such as phthalates. Phthalates in children’s toys have been banned in Europe due to health concerns for fetal development, sperm counts, and other negative health effects.”

“We founded Earth Erotics as an effort to provide a secure and comfortable space for health conscious and environmentally conscious shoppers to find an array of non-toxic erotics, organic cotton bed and bath, and earthy bedroom ambience. We consider Earth Erotics the natural food store of adult boutiques. That is because we are not a mega-store, we are a small, grass roots boutique committed to the strictest standards of quality and care for your health and pleasure. We will make the best effort to inform you about what you are buying. We are committed to customer service and encourage open dialogue about toxins and the environment.”