There are 3 types of risks associated with the use of sex toys:

Risk 1 : Toxicity

This one is easy to understandr : materials containing harmful substances can make the sextoy toxic. For example, phthalates are problematic chemicals commonly found in sex toys (see a Greenpeace study here). Once in contact with the mucous membranes, they can have negative impacts on the human body (see here).

The sex toy industry being unregulated all sorts of undesirable substances might be found (BPA, heavy metals, solvents...). Of course, these are not indicated on the product packaging.

However, let’s not draw an overly negative picture of sex toys materials. An item containing some traces of harmful materials does not automatically mean it represents a major health issue. A study conducted by Denmark in 2005 on 16 sex toys (see here) notes the frequent presence of potentially dangerous chemicals but concludes that, even considering the worst case scenarios (a few hours per day of direct contact), it only represents "minor risks" for 15 of them.

Risk 2 : Porosity

A sex toy is considered porous if bacteria and fungi can proliferate inside it. Porous sextoys absorb body fluids like sponges and then harbors colonies of microorganisms without necessarily being visible to the naked eye. Porosity causes sex toys to become practically impossible to clean, which can lead to infections.

The main materials for non-porous sex toys are metal, glass, and platinum-cured silicone. If properly varnished, wood, stones, and many other materials can be non-porous.

Risk 3 : Design

Penetrative sex toys designed without a flared base can get stuck in the body during anal intercourse. Surgical removal is sometimes required to remove the retained object. While this may sound unlikely, it’s actually a relatively common medical emergency (see here).A wide enough base ensures that the sextoy cannot fully penetrate. All daemons incorporate a voluminous base in their design for this reason.

If the material is too fragile or if the shape of the sex toy has some very thin parts it might be prone to breaking during use. Not all materials are equal in this regard: some are more robust than others. We only use silicones with a high level of resistance to stretching, crushing, and twisting. However, all silicones are vulnerable to cuts! They should be kept from scratching, biting, and sharp objects.

Electronic components can also induce specific risks, but this area is better regulated.

No, to our knowledge there is no country that regulates erotic toys for safety reasons. Most laws targeting these objects only seek to prevent minors from accessing them. It might look like the industry is being ignored by legislators, but let’s not forget we have come a long way with the legal framework of sex toys. To give an example, here in France sellers were sent to jail for "outrage to public decency" until the 1970s (see here) !

General rules like GPSD in Europe do apply to sex toys like to any other item. However, this type of framework are often very broad-based : “any item should be safe when used in normal condition” but they never clearly ban a list of unsafe materials (unless it’s banned from every standard industry like for a highly radioactive material for instance). Some people consider it insufficient because sex toys, like cosmetics or medical devices, involve a unique set of risks regarding health. They are being sold as massage devices or simply as decorative objects and in the end they bear very little manufacturing constraints despite their intended intracorporal uses.

Besides, manufacturers are not required to display accurately the materials they use. Confusing labels are tolerated, such as "Silicone Sex Toy" for an item that actually only contains 20% silicone.

Let's not dramatize this situation ! Today many manufacturers and resellers pay a lot of attention to the safety of their products, and it has become easy to find biocompatible sex toys.