Is TENGA Toxic? How To Ensure Your TENGA Is Real And Body-Safe
In the TENGA 2020 Global Sexual Survey, there has been an increase of 19% in the usage of sex toys in US adults. In 2016, only 31% of people surveyed have used a sex toy, while in 2020 an amazing 50% of adults have used one. As the use of sex toys has become more widely accepted and more people use sex toys in their daily lives for self-pleasure and wellness, people’s awareness and concerns around the safety of the products they buy has increased. Of course customers who are looking to buy a TENGA product want to know if the product is safe. We’re here to help, by looking at how to spot a counterfeit product, the risks of using fake products, and what exactly makes TENGA products safe to use.
Contents
What Materials Are TENGA Products Made From?
All TENGA products are made from a combination of either thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), silicone or a combination of both. Polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) polyethylene (PE), and polycarbonate (PC) is used for the outer casings.
TENGA uses silicone because silicone is one of the safest, non-porous, body-safe materials to use for sex toys, so this choice of material is clear. There are debates online surrounding the use of elastomer as a material for sex toys as they can be porous, depending on the manufacturing technique.
While lower quality sex toys made from TPE/elastomer could potentially be porous due to the manufacturing quality, TPE is body-safe. Silicone and TPE/elastomer are non-toxic and, when cleaned and maintained properly, can remain clean and free from any bacteria or mold.
Another point regarding porous material products is that these should not be shared as, due to their porous nature, this is unhygienic.
Generally, porous materials are suitable for penis toys, however, non-porous materials such as silicone are important to use for insertable sex toys.
How TENGA Makes Sure Products Are Body Safe/Manufactured
As previously mentioned, TENGA takes care to not only use non-toxic, body-safe materials such as Silicone and TPE (elastomer) but our manufacturing techniques are also state of the art. Not only does this make creating high-quality products such as the FLIP 0 possible. All of our items are manufactured in hygienic factory conditions which ensure that the products are as clean, and body-safe as possible from the production stage to boxing.
These factories include our molding facilities that are cleanrooms, ensuring an extra level of cleanliness and safety. We run tests on all new materials to ensure that there are no issues with toxicity and are body-safe. All our electronics for our vibrating products are tested beyond their capacity to ensure the utmost safety during even the most robust sessions of use.
There are other standard safety measures such as patch tests for new materials. This consists of applying a small sample of the product on human skin for 24 hours to ensure no adverse reactions. We also have some parameters when coming to the shape of our products. For example, it should not have sharp edges that might harm the body either when it is gripped with the hand nor when using it.
What Are The Risks Of A Counterfeit TENGA?
All products sold via our Official US Store and Official EU Store are guaranteed in quality and built to the highest standards expected of TENGA products. Of course, items sold outside of our Official Stores and verified reseller stores are beyond our control and so could potentially be counterfeit. You can find out more about the measures TENGA takes to combat counterfeiting on our Official Brand site and through Red Points, who work with TENGA to ensure counterfeit items do not flood the market.
What are the dangers of counterfeit items though? The quality of the materials used in these fake items cannot be verified. This means that fake items could be made from cheap materials containing toxic chemicals. For example, fake products may contain potentially unsafe chemicals like melamine, a chemical approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for manufacturing purposes, but importantly not for human consumption. This can cause complications with kidneys such as kidney stones, kidney failure or even death.
Another potentially dangerous material is phthalates, a material that has been found increasingly in everyday items such as cleaners, cosmetics, fragrances and even food packaging. Phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and the reproductive system.
Thankfully TENGA does not use any phthalates or melamine in the materials used to make any of our products.
How To Spot A Fake TENGA or Sex Toy
TENGA has been working hard both independently and with the help of Red Points to try to wipe out as many fake TENGA products as possible. We have an informational page, and a contact form here, but we’ll cover a few tips to help you spot fake products a little easier and to help you make sure you are buying authentic TENGA products.
In general, the best ways to spot fake products can be taking notice of the brand details. For example, making sure the brand name is spelt correctly and the logo is the actual design. The above pictures show some examples of counterfeit TENGA items that have previously been found with misspellings such as TENCA and TENQA. Other spelling or grammatical errors can often be found in other explanations on the packaging.
Material quality is another key factor in being able to spot a fake easier. If you bought a brand name product for a fraction of the selling price and the material seems to be of cheaper quality than you expected, you may have a fake. An example of this from the TENGA brand is the TENGA EGGs. Often fake EGGs have a smooth or shiny plastic covering. Authentic TENGA EGGs have a matte finish that is easily recognizable.
These pointers can be useful for identifying not only counterfeit TENGA products but for many other sex toys. If a product seems to be too cheap, or the material seems to be of a lower quality than expected, then please take the time to find out if the product is authentic and safe before using. If you do suspect you have a fake TENGA product, you can always contact us here via our counterfeit report form or through our contact form and our staff can help advise you.
Are TENGA Products Safe To Use?
TENGA takes all precautions possible to make sure that our products are manufactured to a high standard of safety. However, we always advise washing a reusable product before the first use for additional hygiene. We can only say this for TENGA products bought from our Official US Store and Official EU Stores and verified reseller stores that we supply, however. Any products bought outside of these sources can potentially vary in authenticity and/or quality.
It should also be noted that once an authentic TENGA product is owned, it is up to the purchaser to maintain, clean and store the product in a safe way to ensure durability and hygiene. Key points on what lubricants are safe to use with the item, as well as how to clean and store the item can be found in the user manual, with a full FAQ available online on our product FAQ page. If these advisories are followed, especially for our reusable products, then you can rest assured you have a body-safe, non-toxic TENGA sex toy!
