About Body-Safe Sex Toys & YOUR Sexual Wellness

What are Body-Safe Sex Toys?

Did you know that the adult toy industry is essentially unregulated as to consumer safety, and that many of the products sold in typical “adult” stores are often made with materials that have been proven to be hazardous to health? Identified by manufacturers and distributors somewhat disingenuously as “novelties”, these items are excluded from FDA or other governmental agency monitoring. The FDA does test medical items, and one would think that items known to be used internally would fall under this category, but they do not. In addition, some manufacturers have been known to make unreliable claims as to the quality of the materials in their products. (1)

Today’s consumers are aware that there are practices in the food and pharma industries that optimize profit for the manufacturers but expose buyers to harmful ingredients and materials, and it is no different in the adult toy industry. Given the information, and a choice, consumers want the opportunity to choose the safest products.

VaVaVooom is committed to carrying BODY-SAFE sex toys and products, to the best of our knowledge and ability. We take a “risk management” approach by excluding products that we know to not be body safe. We have identified certain manufacturers that present their product as body safe, or assert that their items do not contain certain materials, and we are not in the position to call them out, but with fairly simple testing we can see if specific claims are untrue, and exclude their items from our collection.

How can we assure you, then, that we, as a profit-minded retailer, are not promoting unsafe toys?

That is where our commitment to knowledge, to integrity, and indeed to personally using the products that we sell, comes in. Just as small local food markets take great care in curating the vendors they allow, we do the same. In the food industry, we see the word “organic” used, and it is now well defined, legally. It took years to have that word well defined for consumers. The word “body-safe” has not yet been legally defined, that may happen in the future, yet there is a reasonableness to the term. Something that contains a banned material should never show up on a sex shop’s shelves, yet it happens in the adult toy industry.

Our original “reason for being” has been to curate products within an industry that pushes the envelope, and has little or no regulatory oversight. We are not a testing facility, we do not have a physical lab, but we research, selectively curate and then screen the items we carry using several different methods depending on their materials or ingredients.

This has allowed us to identify the manufacturers and distributors that reliably deliver high quality, non-adulterated products. We stock those lines which we consider as creating the very best of sex toys, the lines we have identified as reliably producing “body-safe” toys:

• Lelo

• Zalo

• We Vibe

• NJoy

• Crave

• Tantus

• Sensuelle

• Glas

• Fun Factory

• Jopen 

We use a simple screening tool to monitor the use of high quality silicone by the manufacturers of our silicone toys. This screening tool is called a flame test, and while such a test cannot absolutely ascertain that any item is 100% body safe, as there are many factors that come into play (including actual use and after-use cleaning) it can detect silicone or plastic toys that are definitely NOT body safe. Of course, we have NONE of those!

The flame screening that is easily done in our shop (and can be done carefully in your own home as well) is with the flame of a standard bic-type lighter held one half inch from the area of the toy that makes contact with sensitive body tissues (the interior lips of the vulva or the vagina, the urethral opening of the penis, or the anus). Make sure to hold the toy and the lighter over an inflammable metal pan or other flat container, and away from any clothing or material that may ignite, and with care for your skin or hair.

If the toy is composed of medical or food grade silicone, or is platinum cured, it won’t melt or burn. However, if the silicone has been adulterated with non-silicone substances to make the toy softer or more flexible, it may will smoke, melt or burn, which indicates the use of certain plasticizers. Certain types of plasticizers may include chemical compounds called phthalates that are derivatives of petroleum and are not body-safe. These are the compounds in toys that may cause them to ignite or smoke if flame-tested. We highly recommend not using such toys.

Toys made from materials like this may also develop a bad smell over time, and with use, and become sticky or even melt. It is likely that they are also porous and cannot actually be thoroughly or properly cleaned. We highly recommend carefully examining your current toy collection for any sort of deterioration, discoloration or damage, and tossing such toys.

Certain soft materials called elastomers are often used to make sex toys. They have a life-like feel especially when used with a lubricant. However, these are highly porous and cannot be cleaned after use, even with toy cleaner, alcohol, soap & water or in a dishwasher or with boiling water. The porous material will retain bacteria and may transmit infections, including STD’s. We recommend that elastomer toys be used once for pleasure and then discarded. Penis toys such as the Fleshlight have removable inserts that we recommend replacing with each use. The ABS holders are themselves body-safe, but the inserts are not, and may increase the risk of STD transmission between a penis owner and a vulva-owning partner if the couple engages in masturbation using the toy, and intercourse sequentially.

VaVaVooom carries some very high quality, highly polished crystal (quartz or jade) stones intended for sacred tantric practices, with the caveat that they must be completely smooth with zero cracks or fissures and sanitized between each use.

We screen glass toys by sample. Glass toys can be wonderful in that they are hard, non-porous, made of inert material, hygienic, clean easily, and can be warmed by placing in a cup of very warm water, or cooled by placing in ice water. There should never be any cracks, divots or fissures in a glass toy. For hygienic reasons, we do not typically open boxes to examine such toys for any sort of breakage or damage incurred during shipping, and they are packed carefully in foam wraps, but we highly recommend inspecting such toys by careful looking and touching prior to use. Glass toys are intended for play in a soft surface area such as a bed. Glass toys can generally be used safely in a soft setting on or in the body, but if the glass toy were to drop on a hard surface, it should not be used again as pressure drops can cause unexpected barely visible fractures and possibly breakage. There are different strengths of glass that are sold as toys. Borosilicate glass is frequently advertised as body-safe glass, however, as there can be mislabeling in this industry, we recommend cautious, careful use.

Our stainless steel toys are made from medical grade, non-corrosive stainless steel. Lower grade steel items are often available in other sex shops but may contain unacceptable levels of nickel, cadmium or lead. We only purchase from highly reputable providers of metal objects.

Lubricants and other body products: we evaluate body products for ingredients or materials which might upset the natural balances of your body. Lubricants with irritants are monitored and noted to tip off sensitive individuals. Glycerin is a common lubricant ingredient that can notoriously cause dryness and promote yeast infections in some bodies, so we carry mostly glycerin-free alternatives. There are harmful preservatives that we scrupulously avoid. Coconut oil was all the rage for internal use several years ago, until it was realized that its antibacterial and antifungal properties actually could damage the delicate internal flora of vaginas. CBD based lubricant is currently a popular request, but many of the formulas are new and relatively untried, so we retain caution around those products.

VaVaVooom aims to carry only exceptional pleasure products, and while we are familiar with the caveat “let the buyer beware” it is our goal to take the difficulty out of shopping for intimate items. We routinely monitor medical and governmental publications regarding standards of health, safety and manufacturing parameters. We review consumer lab reports and evaluate individual manufacturers for their own standards of excellence and safety.  While we, like you, are susceptible to unfair & out-of-integrity business practices, we strive to be highly informed and carefully selective of all our chosen products. But we ourselves are consumers of items produced in a complex industry, and we can offer no guarantees about the representations of manufacturers.

To be safest, make sure any toy you use internally or around intimate body areas, is clean, not shared, no damage to the toy, no noticeable smell or stickiness, and for greater certainty, place a new, fresh condom on the toy with each use. There is no absolute way of ascertaining that a particular toy you are using is safe, but as many things in life, risk assessment and management is your pathway to good outcomes, and developing awareness of what is most likely safe is the best way to proceed.

How we help you in your self-care choices:

• Our body massagers and vibrators are well designed and crafted. The manufacturers we represent excel in engineering and design, and most offer generous warranties on their products.

• Vibrators are made with high or medical grade silicone coatings, some include high quality ABS plastics.

• Dilettos are body-safe medical grade silicone, borosilicate glass, high-grade stainless steel or elastomer.  

• Lubricants are ph-balanced, some are organic, and all are glycerin, paraben, and BHA free.

We also offer:

• natural oil body massage oils for external body massage (soy, hemp, almond or coconut oil based) and low melting point mood-setting massage candles.  

• locally made leather pieces, restraint play items, heightened-sensation play items

• Liberator positioning furniture & accessories,

• softly erotic instructional guides,

• men's and gender affirming sexual wellness items,

• alternative persona costumes and accessories,

• we exclude toys with packaging with unnatural looking imagery, or toys that are quasi-realistic replicas of genitalia or other body parts.

VaVaVooom aligns with a traditionally feminine aesthetic while asserting a radical idea...that full expression and enjoyment of sexuality is a natural and wonderful birthright! Accordingly, we carefully curate our intimate products with high standards for sexual health, simplicity, beauty, elegance and fun! Our staff members each have the Elevate-U certification in retail sexual wellness, has a solid knowledge base, and is trained for sensitivity to personal needs, and to respond with accurate information to your inquiries and requests. 

Our brick & mortar shop on Broadway in Downtown Asheville, has much more product than shown on our website, so please COME IN to see all of the wonderful items in our 3000 square foot shop.

In the sexual wellness section of our Boudoir Boutique, you will find testers for our body-safe sex toys and lubricants. The ability to touch the vibrators, lubricants and some accessories is vitally important in making your selections, so we make it easy for you to do so.

BUYER BEWARE OF KNOCK-OFF ADULT PRODUCTS on AMAZON!

• Many of our clients are delighted to be able to examine our products in person, as an alternative to shopping online elsewhere. Please be aware that many of our body safe toys are considered “luxury items” and are subject to some of the underhanded online sales tactics that happen with other quality goods.

• If you see the same (or similar item) on Amazon at a price significantly lower than at VaVaVooom, you can be sure it is NOT a genuine or legitimately sold item.

VaVaVooom LLC is an authorized dealer for the brands we carry. We price our product at or close to Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), which is the price we agree to, with the manufacturer, to guarantee their warranties for our clients. Any product purchased below MSRP is likely a knock-off and will not have a verifiable warranty. If you have any questions about pricing or valid purchases, please don’t hesitate to ask us! We want you to be happy & satisfied with all your purchases.

Our brick & mortar shop, on Broadway in Downtown Asheville, has much more product than shown on our website, so please COME IN to see all of the wonderful items in our 3000 square foot shop!

Best Selling Sex Toys

Lelo- GIGI™

A sexy pleasure product with a curved and flattened tip to accurately target your G-spot, GIGI™ 2 offers exhilarating solo pleasure, making it one of the most popular G-spot massagers of all time!

An active and pleasurable erotic life is essential to your overall health and well-being. To enhance your relationships and intimate personal moments, we carefully curate Body Safe & Luxury Intimate Health & Wellness items.