People everywhere have taken advantage of their increased social distancing and isolation to have some fun with toys, explore their bodies and indulge their kinks! Interestingly enough this has also created an opportunity for more fly by night companies to create knockoffs and counterfeits of some of the most popular toys on the market such as Magic Wand, Fleshlight and We-Vibe products.
When you purchase your products from Smitten it’s a safe way to buy and to know that the products you are getting are from the manufacturer, made from quality materials and actually safe for use.
There are some tips for spotting unsafe counterfeit products on the market, particularly ones that are offered online from retailers you may not be familiar with. Here are some pointers on how to spot these imposters:
- “The packaging looks different than what I have seen advertised in other places, but it must be the same, right?” – Wrong. Companies that are creating counterfeit products also cut corners on packaging and the product name may even appear slightly different in order for them to avoid legal repercussions related to patent infringement and absolve them of responsibilities of claims made on their packaging. For example, “We-Vibe” products may be sold as “WeVibe” or “We Vibe” (without the dash) to make it appear as though the product is authentic when it is not. A Fleshlight product marked “Made in China” is definitely a red flag since all Fleshlight products are made in the USA. Also keep your eyes open for spelling and language errors as well as wording that looks like it was pushed through Google translator in a hurry.
- “It says it is made from silicone but it feels grippy, tacky and is translucent.” – If there is one thing that really irks us it is dishonest packaging and the fact that there is no governing body that regulates labelling on adult toys and products. A good, honest company will label their products accordingly, but too many times we have seen companies label their product as silicone when it is very obvious that the product is NOT silicone. Silicone is opaque, not translucent, so if the material is clear or see through it is more than likely made from a jelly latex, TPR or TPE material. Some of these inferior materials can contain phthalates (a known carcinogen) and can be much more difficult to keep clean due to their porous surfaces. These materials will degrade quite quickly becoming sticky, cloudy and bacteria havens. While some of these cheaper toys may be phthalate and latex free, they are not something we recommend for long-term use, but may be a cost effective way to give something a try before investing in a pure, 100% medical grade silicone toy.
- “Holy smokes this dildo stinks like chemicals!” – If you open your toy and you are overwhelmed with fumes that smell like chemicals or hot plastic you have a product that is NOT silicone. Materials containing harmful plastics, phthalates and chemical additives will smell harmful too. That is definitely not something you want on or in your body, particularly when the vagina is one of the most absorbent membranes in your body, it’s a direct path for chemicals to leech into your body.
- “This toy feels really light and flimsy.” – Toys made from quality, body safe materials such as 100% medical grade silicone and body-safe ABS plastic will have a different feel to them than counterfeit products produced from inferior materials. Counterfeit products will feel hollow, cheap and, if they are motorized, unnecessarily loud.
Do you have any questions regarding the materials of toys? Let us know! Email us at admin@mysmitten.ca, visit us online at mysmitten.ca or Facebook.com/areyousmitten or give us a call at 204-727-2446.
