Safety TLDR

  • I won’t use anything toxic in toys.
  • All the standard pigments I use (solid colors, metallic colors, etc) are either skin safe, cosmetic grade for use around the lips & eyes or edible.
  • Glow powder that may cause skin irritation in some people. When in doubt – order a silicone swatch and see if it bothers you before ordering a full sized toy or simply avoid toys with said products entirely. More info below. 
  • [Plastic] glitter has a risk of eventually working it’s way out of a toy. I use micro-fine glitter in an effort to minimize the risk, but if it’s a concern, avoid pre-made toys with ‘glitter’ in the title.

I have lots more specific info listed below, and I’d highly encourage you to check that out before purchasing a toy! It never hurts to know exactly what you’re buying.

One final note before we go further: Many people consider the silicone barrier surrounding powdered pigments to be sufficient insurance there won’t be direct physical contact with the pigments that were included, and I personally tend to agree. I still go out of my way to find the safest materials possible when creating toys and would never use anything that was overtly banned or toxic.

That being said, I felt it was important to explicitly state that some of the optional colors I use are NOT certified as being skin/body safe (most notably, the glow powders). For more info on the specific colors I use, please see the below info. 

Does ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ mean a product is Non-Toxic?

Short story – no. I don’t claim any of my stuff is either, so I won’t go into it in detail. But suffice it to say that there’s plenty of plants that will kill you if you eat them, so just because something comes from nature, doesn’t mean it can’t be bad for you…

Types of Colorants

Powdered Coloring

Powdered color additives are just that – colored powder. They don’t dissolve when added into silicone, but they float in suspension and disperse to give a uniform color. On occasion, the grains of powder may be large or heavy enough that they may have a tendency to sink to the bottom of a mixture (much like sand will sink in water). Because silicone is very viscous (thick) this generally isn’t an issue, especially with the mica powders (described below) I normally use to color things.

Think of the powdered colors like chocolate chips in a cookie or muffin – they don’t dissolve when you add them into the batter. If they are particularly large/heavy compared to the mixture they’re suspended in, they may sink ot the bottom of whatever you’re making.

Liquid Coloring

For the purposes of simplicity – liquid colors are those that will dissolve or disperse into the silicone as it’s mixed. Often times, these colors are made with the same base materials as the silicone itself. Unlike powdered pigments, these don’t settle as they effectively become part of the final mixture. 

Instead of chocolate chips, think of pouring liquid chocolate into cookie batter – if you actually stir it in and don’t just pour a massive blob of chocolate on top, it will be part of the overall mixture and won’t be distinguishable from the batter.

Different Levels of Safe

There’s a whole host of of different ways to classify the safety of particular materials, and not just for toys – for EVERYTHING!!! I wanted to briefly touch on these so everyone is on the same page about what they’re buying since the stuff you’re purchasing from this shop is probably going to be used internally and have contact with mucus membranes (which sounds really sexy when I word it like that…).

So, in rough order of least-safe to most safe, here we go!

Toxic

Non-Toxic

Cosmetic Grade

Certified Skin Safe

Edible

Medical Grade

Types of Colors / Pigments

Solid Color Pigments

UV Pigments

Glitters, Sporkle & Shimmer

Mica Powders

Glow Powders