Most gay men own one or more sex toys, but we’re pretty shy
about talking about them! Because of that, most of us also usually only have
hearsay knowledge about what they’re made of, how to take care of them and how
to use them.
It doesn’t help that most dildos and butt toys are stamped
with a disclaimer that reads "for novelty use only.” This is how manufacturers
get away with not including any instructions about their use or care or even listing
their ingredients on the label. It’s also how they avoid lawsuits from people
who injure themselves from playing with the toys that they make.
Regardless of any brand name or proprietary substance that
manufacturers claim to have invented, sex toys are really only made out of three
major materials. The first, most popular and cheapest of them is Thermo Plastic
Rubber (TPR).
The overwhelming majority (80%) of all packaged sex toys are
made of TPR. That’s because it is inexpensive and easily formed into lots of
different shapes through injection molding. A secret about TPR that no
manufacturers ever tell you is that it only has a shelf life of six to eight
years. After that it begins to break down.
