In the last ten years there has been an explosion of creativity in the materials that sex toys are made from. Find out what materials are available and the advantages and disadvantages of each for your choice of sex toy.

PLASTICS
Many sex toys are made from plastic. It is particularly suitable for smooth surfaced toys and round surfaces. You'll find a lot of basic vibrators, bullets and eggs made from different types of plastic. A particularly high quality plastic called 'ABS' is used by some manufacturers, such as Natural Contours. This is more shock resistant, harder wearing and can be moulded more precisely.

PROS - Low cost. Easy to mould to high quality. Hygenic, easy-to-clean.
CONS - Limited creativity. Hard surface.

JELLY RUBBER
Advances in productioN have lead to a new form of rubber - essentially clear and therefore can be coloured to every possible shade. The result is 'jelly rubber' and it has taken the sex toy market by storm. The female friendly colours, translucent appearance and soft flexible feel really make this an attractive material for a whole range of vibrators, dildos, anal toys and more.

PROS - Low cost. Easy to mould. Flexible. Innovative shapes possible.
CONS - Some people are allergic. Moulding flaws possible. Cleaning OK

PVC or VINYL
Still plastic, but a softer, flexible version. This creates a more natural feel for vibrators and dildos. Probably the bulk of basic vibes are made of this material. You will also find vibrators that require movement - e.g. foreskin vibes and inflatable butt plugs made from this material. A recent advance has been the ability to create material with a 'pearlised' finish, available in a rainbow of colours. This is extremely attractive and very female friendly.

PROS - Low cost. Easy to mould. Flexible. Varied surface finish.
CONS - May crack over time. Doesn't always feel great. More difficult to clean.

REAL SKIN
At the leading edge of rubber manufacture is the development of products designed to mimic the human body. These products are variously described as 'real-skin' 'ero-skin' 'cyber-skin' and suchlike. Sex toys made from real-skin do feel remarkably lifelike and are preferred by many users. You will find vibrators, dildos, masturbators, eggs & bullets all either manufactured from, or covered in, this materials

PROS - Real feel. Super-realistic. Flexible.
CONS - cost. Need careful looking after. May be smelly.

LATEX or RUBBER
Rubber is a natural material and lends itself to soft, flexible sex toys. Traditional rubber is almost always either flesh or black coloured. It can be moulded into quite intricate patterns. Rubber is frequently used for dildos.
PROS - Low -cost. Easy to mould. Flexible. Intricate shapes possible.
CONS - Smelly. Some people are allergic. Lower qualitymoulding may show flaws. Can be difficult to clean.

GLASS
Glass sex toys are exploding in popularity, despite their high cost. Glass is a great material for sex toys provided that it is correctlymanufactured. Good glass toys are made from medical grade borosilicate glass, sometimes referred to as 'Pyrex'. Think about the many kitchen saucepans and other glass receptacles that you can actually place directly on the hob or in the oven. And glass is also used in the space shuttle windows. Its pretty tough stuff. A word of caution. Some suppliers are importing glass toys from the far east which are of dubious quality and have little or no manufacturing quality control. We recommend sticking with wellknown and respected brands like Phallix.
Glass is a superb material to make some of the most attractive and interesting dildos. It can be heated in water or cooled in a fridge for new experiences. It doesn't smell, is easy to clean and properly looked after will last a lifetime. Good glass doesn't come cheap. Each piece is hand-made by a craftsman and it can take up to a day to make one item. Anything with the slightest flaw is rejected.
So if you want to play with glass, you must be prepared to pay the price.

PROS - Fabulous creations. Wonderful designs. No smell. Easy-to clean. Can heat or cool.
CONS - Very high price.

STAINLESS STEEL
You might be surprised to see steel on the list of sex toy material. But we are now finding that despite the heavy weight, some people like the 'hard-edged' appearance and feel of stainless steel. Predominantly used for butt plugs, there are also a few dildos available in this material.

PROS - Unique 'hard-edged' appearance. Easy to clean. Indestructible!
CONS - Very heavy. High cost. Not for every one.

SILICONE
We don't mind admitting that we love sex toys made from silicone. This material has a great feel - not too soft but not too hard. Silicone toys are hand-poured and it is more of a craftsmen production environment. The material lends itself to fabulous colours, mixed colours, swirls of movement and great creativity from the designers. Not only that but silicone doesn't smell, is hypoallergenic (used for the teats on babies bottles!) and lasts a very long time.

PROS - Very attractive. Great feel. Flexible but firm. No smell. Hypoallergenic.
Easy-to-clean.
CONS - High price.