Has the pleasure products sector finally come of age? Dale Bradford looks into ISO 3533, the first globally recognised international standard for sex toys…
Perhaps the most surprising thing about ISO 3533 is that a global industry has managed to grow up without any recognised ‘standards’ at all. People put sex toys on them, in them, and up them, trusting their important little places to products that could be made of literally anything.
“What’s the problem, sir?”
“This Stick-Your-Dick-In stroker you sold me has a razer sharp internal texture that has sliced off my penis.”
“I’m sorry to hear that sir, but why would you put your penis in it? As the box clearly states, it is sold as a novelty only.”
Whether such a disclaimer could protect a manufacturer (or indeed a retailer) in such a case has not, to my knowledge, been tested in a court of law but it’s not a defence I’d be comfortable relying on.
ISO 3533 – Sex toys: Design and safety requirements for products in direct contact with genitalia, the anus, or both – is a new global standard that aims to ensure consumer safety, and thus increase confidence, in pleasure products.
SIS (the Swedish Institute for Standards) proposed the development of the new standard following a 2018 study which revealed the high number of surgical procedures that were deemed necessary after patients were admitted to hospital with objects stuck in their anus/rectum.
A subsequent review of available data showed that this was happening all over the world, with 40% of these objects being sex toys. And even though these numbers were increasing, the true figure of ‘sex toy retention’ was thought to be even higher, with many thought to be reluctant to seek medical assistance due to the embarrassing nature of their predicament.
Announcing the initiative, SIS stated: “Sex toys are produced, sold, and used all over the world. It is a billion-dollar industry but until now there has been no international standard specific for this type of product. Without the guidance of clear standards with requirements specific for these products it is difficult for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers to know when a product is safe, and when it goes wrong it creates difficult cases for healthcare to handle.”
And addressing the increase in instances of sex toy retention, the statement added: “The new ISO 3533 aims to contribute to a decrease in these incidents by globally agreeing on design considerations, user information requirements, and material safety standards for sex toys.”
Development
ISO 3533 has been in development for two years, and 75 experts from 19 different countries, representing manufactures, retailers, distributors, consumer representatives, and medical professionals, collaborated on its publication. The work was managed by SIS and the secretariate was funded by the We-Vibe & Lovehoney Group. During the development process a public consultation was arranged, and the resulting feedback was integrated into the finished document.
The SIS statement went on to emphasise that the standard is voluntary: “This means the industry itself can take the lead by agreeing on standards for their specific industry, which will benefit the development of the industry itself as they can focus on innovation and users can be sure of safe products.”
The statement added: “Prior to this standard being published, manufacturers and retailers of sex toys could only use self-developed standards or use requirements from other standards with similar material and design perspectives. We now hope that manufacturers and other interested parties adopt this standard, making it a useful tool for quality and safety all around the world.”
And while SIS concedes that no ISO standard will ever stop people using whatever bizarre object they deem appropriate for their sexual pleasure, a global agreement outlining what should be considered when designing, producing, and selling pleasure products will at least ensure that compliant sex toys are not directly responsible for their users having to visit their local A&E department.
Benefits
The letters ‘ISO’ are recognised all over the world. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Organization for Standardization is an independent, non-governmental international organisation that counts 166 national standards bodies among its membership. For a sector as niche as sex toys to have been given the support and endorsement of the ISO should be seen as a monumental move to mainstream acceptability.
Manufacturers which adopt the standard, and promote it on their packaging and in their marketing materials, could immediately gain an advantage over their non-compliant competitors. They will be seen as responsible, professional, and serious about pleasure (now there’s a tagline begging to be appropriated).
And when salespeople are discussing the merits of similar products, pointing out that Rabbits A and B conform to internationally recognised safety standards – while Rabbits C and D do not – will inevitably steer the customer to the former, even if the latter has a price advantage.
Sure, customers can be a contrary bunch, but I don’t imagine there will be many who will think, ‘Even though I’m going to be sticking this in my precious spasm chasm, I’ll save £5 and go for the one that doesn’t conform to any safety standards – YOLO!”
Contents
The ISO 3533 publication – which can be purchased online direct from the BSI or from individual countries’ own standards agencies* for a nominal fee – outlines the general requirements for risk management, design, materials, and user information.
Design, for instance, includes sections on products intended for anal use, mechanical hazards, vibration, electrical safety, surface temperatures, and sharp edges and protruding parts, while materials cover safety, biocompatibility, and cleaning and maintenance.
There is nothing included in the document that should scare any manufacturer. Reading through its contents, much of it could be deemed common sense and I was frequently struck by the thought ‘Why would anyone not do this?’.
Devon-based sex toy design consultancy Sated Design was quick to lend its support to ISO 3533, as it believes – despite the industry’s many advances in recent years – that there are still products on the market that are badly designed, poorly made, and risk harming consumers.
Director Chris Howsam commented: “Considering how and where adult toys are used, a lack of safety and quality standards, particularly with regards to materials, has posed huge risks to the professionalism and reputation of the industry. The disregard of some for even the most basic diligence in materials and design has caused medical related problems for end users.”
And addressing the ‘novelty use’ disclaimer, he added: “In our opinion there is no excuse for producing a product that risks harming its user and there are many safety standards which are sidestepped by crafty use of product descriptions.”
He concluded: “Many resellers and a great many more consumers remain ignorant to the risks a badly designed adult toy can cause. Adoption of the voluntary ISO 3533 by designers and manufacturers with support from marketing could prove to be a great mechanism to raise awareness and use market forces to drive away those few who spoil it for everyone else. The certification will mean recognition for those who are producing best in class, high quality products. This will raise the bar for the quality of adult toys and the longer-term hope is that this will percolate down to the consumers via the retailers so consumers will understand how to make the right product choices.”
* ISO 3533 can be purchased for £20 (£10 for members) from the British Standards Institution (BSI) via https://bit.ly/3j5WlQA or direct from the ISO via www.iso.org/standard/79631.html at a cost of 88 Swiss francs.
A preview of the publication, and its table of contents, can be seen at www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:3533:ed-1:v1:en
