LOS ANGELES — The International Standards Organization (ISO) recently approved the development of new safety standards for the quality of sex toys.
The new standard, “ISO 3533 – Sex toys – design and safety requirements for products in direct contact with genitalia, the anus or both,” offers guidelines for the design of sex toys such as butt plugs, vibrators and dildos, with requirements for mechanical, electrical and vibration, materials, general safety and user information.
ISO is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that develops and publishes standards for several industries, ranging from standards for information technology to fluid dynamics and nuclear energy.
Johanna Rief, We-Vibe head of sexual empowerment, told Vice’s tech vertical Motherboard that the new standard is a first step to ensure to consumers that the sex toys they purchase are safe to use.
Additionally, having official standards can also help to legitimize and professionalize the pleasure products industry, she said.
"We are working and fighting to be taken seriously as any other consumer electronics industry, and part of that is having standards and legal regulations," Rief told Motherboard. "Symbolically, the certification means recognition. But more importantly, it means that the quality of sex toys across the market will now improve to the standards that we and several other players have already been setting for years."
The new requirements include ensuring that anal toys are easily retrievable and that anything that’s insertable be "smooth and be free from burrs and sharp edges." Toys with heating elements can’t exceed 118 degrees Fahrenheit; and in case of emergency, cock cages and rings must be removable with household tools.
The guidelines also cover materials for packaging, among other requirements.
For more information on the new ISO standard, click here.
