Are you worried that the silicone in your products isn’t as safe as your supplier claims? A single batch with harmful chemicals can destroy your brand’s reputation and customer trust. The fear of recalls and health complaints is real, threatening the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

To ensure silicone adult products are safe, we use a multi-step testing process. First, we confirm the material is 100% pure silicone using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Then, we conduct extraction tests with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to ensure no harmful chemicals leach out. Finally, we perform biocompatibility tests, like ISO 10993 cytotoxicity, to prove the material is non-toxic to living cells.

Putting a product on the market carries immense responsibility. As a brand owner, you are the final gatekeeper of quality and safety for your customers. You need to be certain that every item you sell is completely body-safe. This isn’t just about meeting regulations; it’s about upholding the promise you make to your community. That’s why we believe in a transparent, rigorous testing process. Let’s walk through the exact methods we use to provide that certainty.

How do you test for silicone?

You’ve received a new sample that is supposed to be 100% pure silicone. But how can you be sure? Cheaper, unsafe materials can sometimes look and feel very similar, putting your customers and your brand at serious risk. Verifying the material is your first critical step.

We primarily use a method called Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, or FTIR. This advanced technique sends infrared light through a sample to create a unique chemical "fingerprint." By comparing this signature to the fingerprint of pure, medical-grade silicone, we can definitively confirm the material’s identity and purity. It’s a fast, accurate, and non-destructive method that forms the foundation of our quality control process.

While professional testing is essential, you might have heard of other, simpler ways to check silicone. It’s important to understand what these methods can and can’t do. A complete quality assurance plan relies on understanding both the limitations of simple checks and the power of professional-grade analysis.

The "Burn Test": A Simple but Flawed Method

One popular DIY method is the "burn test." The idea is that if you hold a flame to true silicone, it shouldn’t produce black smoke or a strong chemical smell. Instead, it should char and turn into a white, powdery ash. In theory, this separates it from plastics like TPE, which will melt, produce black smoke, and smell like burning oil.

While this can be a quick, informal check, I strongly advise against relying on it. First, it’s destructive—you have to ruin a sample. Second, some manufacturers use fillers that can mask the results, making a low-quality product seem pure. I remember a time early in my career when a supplier sent us samples that passed a quick burn test. But our subsequent FTIR analysis revealed it was a blend, not pure silicone. That experience taught me that shortcuts in material verification are never worth the risk.

FTIR Spectroscopy: The Professional Standard

For true certainty, nothing beats FTIR. The process is scientific and precise. We take a tiny, clean sample of the material and place it in the spectrometer. The machine shoots a beam of infrared light through it. Different chemical bonds within the material absorb the light at different frequencies. A sensor detects which frequencies passed through, creating a graph with unique peaks and valleys.

For silicone, we look for the dominant peak showing the silicon-oxygen (Si-O-Si) bond, which is its core chemical structure. If we see other unexpected peaks, it signals the presence of contaminants or fillers. This analysis gives us an undeniable confirmation of a material’s identity and quality.

How can you tell if silicone is safe?

Knowing a product is 100% silicone is just the start. The next question is, is it the right kind of silicone? An industrial-grade silicone might be pure, but it isn’t safe for intimate use. Using the wrong grade could introduce harmful substances, leading to a disaster for your customers.

Safe silicone for adult products must be platinum-cured and medical-grade. This type is extremely stable and doesn’t contain harmful plasticizers like phthalates or BPA. We verify this by running chemical analyses to detect any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ensuring the raw material complies with international safety standards like RoHS and REACH. This confirms the material is free from known toxic substances.

The type of curing process and the purity of the raw materials are what separate a premium, body-safe product from a potential hazard. This is where a manufacturer’s integrity and attention to detail are most critical. It’s not just about what the silicone is, but also what it is not—it must not be a carrier for hidden toxins.

Platinum-Cured vs. Tin-Cured Silicone

There are two main ways to cure silicone: with a platinum catalyst or a tin catalyst. Tin-cured silicone is cheaper and easier to produce, but it’s not ideal for products that touch the skin. The tin-based catalyst can sometimes result in byproducts that may leach out over time. This silicone can also become brittle or sticky as it ages.

Platinum-cured silicone, on the other hand, is the gold standard for adult products and medical devices. The platinum catalyst creates a very clean and stable chemical reaction with no toxic byproducts. The resulting material is hypoallergenic, durable, non-porous, and can withstand high temperatures for cleaning. It costs more, but for any product designed for intimate use, there is no substitute. We exclusively use platinum-cured, medical-grade silicone for this reason.

Checking for Harmful Additives

Beyond the curing process, we have to ensure the silicone is free from common industrial contaminants. Our safety protocol includes checking for:

• Phthalates: These are plasticizers often used to make plastics soft, but they are known endocrine disruptors and have no place in silicone.
• BPA & Heavy Metals: These toxic substances can be present in low-quality colorants or production facilities.
• Compliance with RoHS and REACH: These are European regulations that restrict the use of specific hazardous substances. RoHS focuses on heavy metals like lead and mercury, while REACH covers a much broader list of chemicals. We ensure our raw material suppliers provide certificates of compliance for both standards. This is a non-negotiable part of our sourcing process.

How do you test for body-safe silicone specifically?

So, you’ve confirmed it’s pure, platinum-cured silicone, and it’s free from common toxins. Great. But how do you prove it won’t cause a negative reaction when it comes into contact with the most sensitive parts of the human body? This requires another level of biological testing.

To confirm silicone is truly "body-safe," we perform biocompatibility tests according to the international standard ISO 10993. This includes cytotoxicity testing (ISO 10993-5) to ensure the material doesn’t harm living cells, sensitization testing (ISO 10993-10) to check for allergic reactions, and irritation testing (ISO 10993-10) to look for skin inflammation. Passing these tests is the ultimate proof of safety for intimate use.

These tests move beyond chemical analysis and into the realm of biology. They are designed to simulate how a material will interact with the human body. As a manufacturer, we often partner with certified, independent laboratories to conduct these tests. This provides an unbiased, third-party validation of a product’s safety, giving you and your customers complete peace of mind.

Cytotoxicity Testing (ISO 10993-5)

This is the most fundamental biocompatibility test. The name sounds complex, but the concept is simple: "cyto" means cell, and "toxicity" means poison. The test checks if the material is poisonous to cells.

In the lab, an extract is made from the silicone material. This extract is then placed in a petri dish with a layer of living human cells (called a cell culture). The scientists observe the cells under a microscope for 24 to 72 hours. If the cells remain healthy and continue to grow, the material is considered non-cytotoxic. If the cells die or stop growing, the material fails the test. Any material that fails this test is immediately rejected.

Sensitization and Irritation Testing (ISO 10993-10)

These two tests assess how the material interacts with skin.

• Irritation Test: This checks for an immediate, localized reaction like redness, swelling, or inflammation. An extract from the material is applied to a small patch of skin to see if it causes a negative reaction within a short period.
• Sensitization Test: This is slightly different. It checks if the material can cause an allergic response after repeated exposure. Some materials don’t cause a reaction the first time but can trigger the immune system over time, leading to an allergy. This test ensures the material is safe for long-term, repeated use.

A truly body-safe silicone must pass all three of these tests—cytotoxicity, irritation, and sensitization—to be approved for use in our products.

Can you test for silicone toxicity?

The word "toxic" is alarming for any consumer, and as a brand owner, you need absolute confidence that your products are free from it. So, can you definitively test for toxicity and prove a product is safe? It’s the most important question of all.

Yes, you can and absolutely must test for silicone toxicity. This is not a single test but a comprehensive evaluation that combines chemical analysis with biological testing. We use extraction tests to find any potential leachable chemicals and then use biocompatibility tests like ISO 10993 cytotoxicity to measure the biological effect of the material on living tissue. This combination provides a complete picture of safety.

Testing for toxicity is the final, all-encompassing step that brings together every other test we’ve discussed. It’s a systematic process designed to leave no stone unturned. The goal is to prove not just the absence of known toxins, but to confirm that the final product, as a whole, has no harmful biological effect.

Chemical Extraction Analysis

This is a critical part of the toxicity assessment. We need to know what, if anything, could leach out of the silicone during actual use. To simulate this, we perform an extraction study. We soak the finished silicone product in different solvents—often saline and alcohol—that mimic bodily fluids and lubricants. The product is left to soak for a specific time at body temperature (37°C).

Afterward, we take the liquid it was soaking in and analyze it using highly sensitive equipment like a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). This machine can detect and identify trace amounts of chemicals, down to parts per billion. If anything has leached from the silicone, this test will find it. A safe product should have no detectable harmful substances.

The Complete Safety Verdict

The final verdict on toxicity comes from combining the chemical data with the biological results. The process works like this:

1. FTIR confirms it is pure silicone.
2. Chemical Analysis (GC-MS) confirms it is free of known toxins like phthalates and complies with RoHS/REACH.
3. Extraction Studies confirm nothing harmful leaches out under simulated use conditions.
4. Biocompatibility Tests (ISO 10993) confirm the material is non-toxic to cells (cytotoxicity), non-irritating, and non-sensitizing.

This chain of evidence provides a robust, scientifically-backed conclusion that the product is non-toxic and safe for its intended purpose.

Conclusion

Ensuring silicone safety is not about a single check. It’s a rigorous, multi-step process involving material identification, chemical purity analysis, and biological evaluation. Partnering with a manufacturer who masters this process is the most critical decision you can make to protect your brand and build lasting customer trust.