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Survey and health assesment of chemicals substances in sex toys 2 Analysis2.1 MethodThe consumption pattern is determined through interviews with relevant actors within sex toys and visits to web sites. Questionnaires formed the basis for the interviews. The analysis covered both toys, which are getting in contact with the sexual organs as well as toys in the form clothing (fetish) in vinyl or rubber. 2.2 Result2.2.1 Visit to sex fairThe sex fair ”Erotic World” is held at regular intervals not only in Copenhagen but also in the province. The fair gives a good impression of the multiplicity of sex toys in the market. An Erotic Guide can be bought at the fair; it is published once a year and gives a survey of the Danish actors within sales of sex toys with detailed information about their web sites. The conclusion from visiting the fair is that most of the sex toys are produced in the Fair East and no product information is available in Danish. 2.2.2 Papers and magazinesPapers, monthly magazines and special issues appealing to both men and women bring topics about sex and maternal relations, either as letters to the editor or as articles. The language style and usage is of course depending on the target group. The topic sex toys appear regularly, but the few magazines we have frequented have not given an impression of the entire consumption pattern within sex toys in Denmark. 2.2.3 InternetSearching for the word sex toys on the search machine Google (www.google.dk) resulted in a total of 359,000 hits. By looking at the site visit frequency the web addresses can be limited to a few. It turned out that the same distributor have several sites, which are appealing to different customers segments. 2.2.4 Shops and interviewsVisits were paid to total 6 shops with sale of sex toys. the shops were located in Aarhus (1), Vejle (1), Kolding (1) and Copenhagen (3). A questionnaire was handed out to the shop personnel and they were inquired about "worst case use" scenario of the various types of toys. The questions were: Estimated sale of sex toys in Denmark classified as follows:
Estimated sale of fetish clothing in Denmark distributed on latex, patent leather and leather Is there any informative labelling on the packing? Is there a Danish manual? Is guidance provided in connection with the sales of sex toys/fetish clothing? If yes, what kind of guidance? Which age groups buy (% distribution?)
Who are the primary customers?
Are the customers repeat customers? How is the material knowledge of the shop personnel in regard to sex toys and their chemical substances? Where are the products manufactured?
Is the purchase made directly or via importer/wholesaler? 2.3 Questionnaire Answers2.3.1 Total consumption in Denmark distributed on product typesOf the six shops visited 4 returned the questionnaire. From the answers it appears that the vibrator is far the most popular sex toy, totalling 40-50 % of the total sale of sex toys. Dildos without vibrator function make up approx. 20 % of the sales, artificial vaginas between 0-15 %. Shops, which are exclusively appealing to women, have neither artificial vaginas nor dolls in their product range. The biggest sale of artificial vaginas and dolls does not surprisingly take place from shops exclusively appealing to men (wide range of porno films). Sale of love eggs/anal chains ranges between 5-15 %. The information about other toys such as penis rings etc. is varying from shop to shop, depending on the target group the range is 5 % to 40 %. None of the shops had an idea of the size of the total market for sex toys in Denmark. Neither was there any information about sales from shops compared to purchase Internet sales. When it comes to fetish clothing the estimate differs a lot from shop to shop regarding choice of material (latex, patent leather or leather). One shop states that 90 % of their sale is within patent leather (soft vinyl) and 5-10 % within leather. Another shop has a ratio of approx. 35 % latex, 50 % patent leather and 15 % leather, and a third one maintains their sale to be 60 % latex, 10 % patent leather and 30 % leather. The sale of fetish clothing is moderate compared to sex toys, except of course for fetish-specialised shops. The most expensive costumes/dresses in rubber are very sophisticated and may very well cost around 10,000 DKK. 2.3.2 Informative labelling and manuals in DanishThe general opinion is that information labelling on the products was insufficient or even lacking. Neither do the products come with a Danish manual. One shop informs us that normally a manual is not needed, but do the customers request one, it can be provided. 2.3.3 Sales guidanceAll shops provide guidance on their sales of sex toys or fetish clothing, including advice on product care before and after use. Information about any allergic reactions is also included and the customer is recommended to apply a condom to the device if in doubt. Further, they give advice on lubricant cream for sex toys, primarily products in rubber, where they distinguish between use of water based and oil based lubricant creams. The guidance in the shops varies a bit. One shop advices against using oil based lubricant cream with products in soft vinyl (jelly) because experience shows that it will damage the product, another recommends to use whatever the cream the customer favours. Another advice is to wash the toys in mild soapy water before and after use. 2.3.4 Materials knowledgeAll shops agreed that they lack information about the material composition of rubbers and plastics dildos. They all agreed on recommending silicone based sex toys as the most safe to use, they are, however, also the most expensive ones. The shops were also very uncertain about the composition of the new material, Cyber skin, and expressed their wish that this project would bring more information about this material. Further, the shops questioned whether a product material with a food-grade quality was qualified also for sex toys. Their uncertainty about the materials is largely due to lack of product description from the manufacturer/importer. As far as fetish clothing is concerned, they stressed that the manufacturers declare it free of hazardous substances. All the shops emphasized that they do no sell to people below the age of 15 years, but at the same time they admitted that it is difficult to check the customer's age when doing business over the Internet. The largest customer segment is people between 19-60 years. But the answers on the distribution of sale within this age interval vary significantly. One shop informs about an evenly distributed sale, another estimates the sale to be biggest within the groups aged 31-40 and 41-60 years. There are no big differences in the distribution on sex or couples, still the men are dominant in shops with a wide range of porn articles such as sex movies or special assortments appealing to "gays". One single shop states to have a majority of women customers buying toys for S&M. The shops answered unanimously that their customers were mostly repeat customers. 2.3.5 Manufacture and Purchasing AgentAccording to the questionnaires 2 of the shops state that 90% of their products are of Far Eastern origin, in another shop the Far Eastern products total 30%, 40% are from Europe/USA, the remaining from other countries. They purchase their products either through wholesalers/importers or directly.
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