This glossary defines the terms that appear on sex toy packaging and product listings, in alphabetical order. Where a term is a marketing phrase rather than a measurable claim, the entry says so.
- ABS
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a hard, glossy, non-porous plastic. Used for vibrator housings and bullets. Cleans easily, cannot be boiled. See sex toy materials.
- Air-pulse
- A stimulator that moves air in short pulses through a nozzle rather than vibrating. Also sold as pressure-wave, suction or sonic stimulation.
- Body-safe
- Marketing phrase. It has no legal or industry definition and no certifying body. Look for the material name instead.
- Borosilicate glass
- Heat-resistant glass of the kind used in lab glassware. Non-porous, can be boiled, works with every lube. The only glass suitable for toys.
- CE mark
- A manufacturer's own declaration that an electrical product meets EU directives on electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility and restricted substances. Says nothing about the body material.
- Cyberskin
- A trade name for a soft, skin-like TPE blend. Porous. Used in realistic toys and strokers.
- Dual density
- Silicone with a firmer inner core and softer outer layer. Cleans like any solid silicone.
- Flared base
- A base wider than the insertable part of a toy. Required on anything intended for anal use, so the toy stays retrievable.
- IPX4, IPX7, IPX8
- Water ingress ratings from the IEC 60529 standard. IPX4 is splash-resistant. IPX7 survives immersion up to 1 metre for 30 minutes. IPX8 survives conditions beyond that, as specified by the maker. None of them make a toy boilable.
- Jelly
- Soft, translucent PVC or TPE, made soft with plasticizers. Porous, often with a chemical smell. The material most worth avoiding.
- Medical-grade
- A description of the raw material the maker says it used. It does not mean the finished toy is a medical device or has been tested as one.
- Non-porous
- A material with no internal structure that holds fluid, so surface cleaning cleans all of it. Silicone, glass, steel and ABS.
- Osmolality
- A measure of how concentrated a lube is. High-osmolality lube draws water out of tissue. The WHO advisory note puts the acceptable ceiling for water-based lube at 1200 mOsm/kg. Rarely printed on the bottle.
- Phthalate-free
- Contains no phthalate plasticizers. True of most TPE and all silicone. Says nothing about porosity.
- Phthalates
- Plasticizers used to soften PVC. Several are restricted in the EU, DEHP, DBP, BBP and DIBP among them. See sex toy safety.
- Platinum cure
- Silicone cured using a platinum catalyst. The higher grade of silicone, leaving no cure residues. A specific, meaningful claim.
- Porous
- A material whose structure takes in and holds fluid below the surface. Cannot be fully sanitized. TPE, TPR, PVC jelly and latex.
- Rumbly and buzzy
- Reviewer terms for vibration. Rumbly is deep and spreads through the toy. Buzzy is high-frequency and stays at the surface. Not printed on any box.
- Seal
- The tamper seal on the box. Breaking it usually ends any right to return the product. See sex toys online.
- Silicone blend
- Not 100% silicone. The rest is usually TPE or PVC. Treat as porous. Same for silicone-like and silicone-feel.
- Sold by
- The line under a marketplace Buy button naming the actual seller. Often not the brand in the listing title.
- 316L stainless steel
- A low-carbon, corrosion-resistant steel grade used in surgical and marine products. Non-porous, can be boiled, contains bound nickel.
- Tin cure
- Silicone cured with a tin catalyst. Cheaper than platinum cure, still non-porous once fully cured.
- TPE and TPR
- Thermoplastic elastomer and thermoplastic rubber. Soft, cheap, usually phthalate-free and porous. Cannot be boiled.
- Warranty
- The maker's promise to replace a defective unit, typically for one year. Separate from returns, which almost always require the product to be unopened.